Barcelona's 'Next Lionel Messi' Fascinated By How UFC Star Conor McGregor Thinks

Barcelona signing dubbed as the “next Lionel Messi” revealed that he is fascinated by UFC star’s Conor McGregor’s everyday life.

Trincao is yet to make his first-team debut with Barcelona. However, many are already convinced that he could be Barca’s “next Messi.” The 20-year-old burst onto the scene by becoming the biggest name in Braga. Trincao captured the attention of Barcelona and in January, he finally joined the club via a €31 million ($33.7 million) deal.

Indeed, Trincao is highly motivated by being given a chance to represent one of the greatest clubs in the world. In a recent live chat with FC Barcelona YouTube channel (via fcbarcelona.com), the Portuguese sensation expressed his thoughts about possible sharing the pitch with six-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi.

According to Trincao, he is looking forward to representing "the best club in the world and sharing a dressing room with the best players in the world.” More importantly, he stated that he “wants to learn from Messi.”

However, Trincao also has something a bit unusual for a soccer rising star. Aside from soccer, the Barca youngster is also fascinated by other great athletes from different sports as well. And to everybody’s surprise, Trincao revealed that he personally admires former UFC champ McGregor and his way of living.

“Apart from football, I like to play table tennis. I prefer documentaries to films. For example, I really liked the one about McGregor [UFC fighter, Conor McGregor], which shows his day to day life, what he does, what he thinks,” Trincao revealed.

Following a successful UFC career, McGregor has inspired a lot of aspiring MMA fighters across the globe. However, it is a bit of a shock that someone from a completely different sport is also captivated by his character. Trincao is probably the first soccer star to ever publicize a certain admiration to McGregor as most of players his age look up to their fellow soccer stars as well.

Meanwhile, Trincao had just been included in the latest transfer rumors involving Barcelona. Recent reports claimed that the Catalan club is now receiving offers for the “next Messi” despite not making the first-team yet.

Before the lockdown, Trincao was enjoying a productive season for Braga, scoring 7 goals and providing 5 assists to date. He also helped Braga win the Portuguese League Cup this season, its first major title since 2016. He finished Portugal's under-19s tournament at the 2018 European Championships with the most goals and most assists.