Real Madrid youngster Take Kubo: "My idol has always been Messi"

Japanese younger Takefusa Kubo have an interview to "MARCA" where he spoke about his time at FC Barcelona, the FIFA sanction which forced him to leave the club and his decision to sign for Real Madrid this summer.

Despite not wearing the white shirt of Barça's famous rivals, Kubo's footballing hero remains the same. "It's always been Messi. I don't know how old he is now but it's incredible that he keeps scoring so many goals." During his time at La Masia, many observers and coaches compared Kubo's style of play to that of the Argentine legend. "It's an honour to be compared with such a great footballer. But I've still got an incredibly long way to go if I'm to be like him one day." 

Kubo is delighted to see his former teammate, Ansu Fati, being involved in the first team at the Camp Nou this season.

On the decision by FIFA to essentially cancel his contract with Barça back in 2014, Kubo admits it was a tough moment to deal with. "For a 13-year-old, it was really hard. You want to play football and don't understand why they are kicking you out of the country, In fact, I still don't know why it happened." FIFA ruled that Barça had breached the rules by signing an underage player to their academy. Kubo remains defiant about the decision. "If a kid wants to play football at a good club, I don't see why they can't do that."

Kubo's decision to sign for Madrid, rather than Barça, created a lot of controversy this summer. "I really liked Real Madrid's intentions in a sporting sense. They presented a specific plan for me over the next few years." Right now he's on loan at Real Mallorca.