Messi look-alike Nancufil making waves

Dec 3, 2013, 17:10 IST

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Messi look-alike Nancufil making waves

Argentine eight-year-old prodigy from the southern Andes who could be mistaken as a clone of Lionel Messi may soon be taking the same road to soccer glory as the Barcelona ace. (Reuters Photo)

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Messi look-alike Nancufil making waves

Spanish giants Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid have shown interest and the boy could go to Spain for trials in the New Year, according to the Madrid newspaper El Confidencial.(Reuters Photo)

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Messi look-alike Nancufil making waves

Argentine eight-year-old prodigy Claudio Nancufil (right), who could be mistaken for a clone of Lionel Messi, tackles the ball at the Martin Guemes club in the Patagonian Argentine city of Bariloche. (Reuters Photo)

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Messi look-alike Nancufil making waves

Claudio Nancufil's mother Viviana said Claudio, who is from a humble background with origins in the Mapuche indians of the southern Andean mountain range, could not explain how he played. (Reuters Photo)

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Messi look-alike Nancufil making waves

Such were the similarities in talent observers saw in Nancufil with Messi at the same age, dribbling past bigger and older boys with ease, that he was called the "Messi of the snows". (Reuters Photo)

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Messi look-alike Nancufil making waves

Argentine eight-year-old prodigy Claudio Nancufil (centre), who could be mistaken for a clone of Lionel Messi, plays at the Martin Guemes club in the Patagonian Argentine city of Bariloche. (Reuters Photo)

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Messi look-alike Nancufil making waves

Claudio Nancufil, small for his age, has become a media sensation since emerging as an unusual talent at the modest Martin Guemes club in the ski resort of Bariloche. (Reuters Photo)

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Messi look-alike Nancufil making waves

"As soon as he started to play (aged four) he was already different from all the rest of his playmates with regards to technique," Martin Guemes club president Marcelo Ernalz said. (Reuters Photo)

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Messi look-alike Nancufil making waves

Spaniard Manuel Otero, manager of Barcelona-based PR agency Suenos Comunicaciones (dreams communications), visited the Nancufil family in Bariloche when he heard of Claudio's talent and offered to represent them. (Reuters Photo)

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Messi look-alike Nancufil making waves

Argentine eight-year-old prodigy Claudio Nancufil (right), who could be mistaken for a clone of Lionel Messi, fights for the ball at the Martin Guemes club in the Patagonian Argentine city of Bariloche. (Reuters Photo)