Shevchenko: El Shaarawy reminds me of myself

Oct 6, 2012 7:05:00 PM

The Ukrainian legend is of the opinion that the striker has a very bright future ahead of him, and was joined by other Rossoneri veterans in singing the youngster's praises

Andriy Shevchenko has stated that he and AC Milan attacker Stephan El Shaarawy have similar playing style.

The Rossoneri legend warned, however, of the dangers of hyping up a player and made clear that the Italian has to find an approach to football that suits him most.

"I don’t know who El Shaarawy can be compared to. I also believe that comparisons are harmful, because every champion is different," Shevchenko told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"But Stephan has something that reminds me of myself, for example when he accelerates."

Another former AC Milan favourite, Dejan Savicevic, shared the Ukrainian's sentiments and tipped El Shaarawy for stardom.

"El Shaarawy has all the qualities needed to become a great player. He’s fast, he has a good shot and he attacks with ease. However, his job is to score goals, and if you don’t do that in Italy then people will criticize you."

Finally, Rossoneri legend Jose Altafini decided to compare the youngster to Brazilian star Neymar and even Ballon d'Or holder Lionel Messi.

"El Shaarawy reminds me of Neymar and Messi. They have a low center of gravity. They play with the ball glued to their feet. He has already proven that he’s a good player. The important thing is not to bulk him up too much."

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