Andrija Maksimovic, known as the ‘Serbian (Lionel) Messi’, has vowed to show he is ‘better’ than FC Barcelona star Lamine Yamal when his team Red Star Belgrade host the Catalans in on Wednesday the Champions League.

Like Lamine in Spain and beyond, Maksimovic is often compared to Messi in his home country and acknowledged the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner’s influence during a pre-match press conference in Belgrade on Tuesday afternoon.

However, as Lamine often does, he tried to brush aside comparisons, saying: “Messi is my idol… I would like to be remembered as Andrija Maksimovic.”

Maksimovic was also born in 2007, making him 17, as was Barca right winger Lamine, who last week won France Football’s Kopa Trophy for the best male football player under 21.

He stressed that he was “not nervous” and “happy to play against a big team like Barcelona.”

And while he said that Lamine was “a great player” who he had met in the past, the cocky Maksimovic promised: “I will go on the pitch to show that I am better than him.”

“There is also (Pau) Cubarsi. They’re both my age. I hope we can change the jersey when the game is over,” Maksimovic further added.

As for Red Star coach Vladan Milojevic, he is aware that his men will face one of the best teams in Europe in Barca.

“Barcelona hardly make mistakes, but we will do everything to counter their game,” Milojevic said in his own press conference.

“We are playing against the best team in Europe. They are a team that performs at the highest level in all phases of the game. They play with inspiration, enthusiasm and a lot of self-confidence. (Hansi) Flick managed to shape this team.” believe in yourself.

While Red Star may, with all due respect, struggle to keep up with Flick’s leaders in terms of quality, a key factor could be a hostile atmosphere at their stadium, known as the ‘Little Maracana’ – a reference to the legendary stadium in Rio de Janeiro .

“The atmosphere will be fantastic, Barcelona always play in full stadiums, but tomorrow you will see what our fans are like,” warned Milojevic. “It’s up to us to show our skills and enjoy the atmosphere.”