Lucas Moura: 'Lionel Messi is like a mirror image of me'

Sao Paulo forward Lucas Moura has claimed that there are many similarities between himself and Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi.

Moura, 20, who reportedly turned down a move to Manchester United in the summer, will join Paris Saint-Germain on a four-year deal in January.

"In my opinion, my style is similar to Messi," Moura told France Football. "We get the ball and we attack immediately.

"We receive blows but we go on. He doesn't fall, he doesn't dive. I am just the same - I hardly complain.

"It is for all those reasons that I like Messi a lot and I can recognise myself in him. Actually, it is like a mirror image of me."

Messi, who has scored 84 goals so far in 2012, is just two strikes short of breaking Gerd Muller's record of 85 goals in a calendar year.

The Argentine has scored 31 goals in 76 senior international appearances during his career, while Moura has scored three in 22 for Brazil.