LONDON: Paris Saint-Germain’s new Brazilian starlet, Lucas, has said he wants to emulate Leo Messi and be considered, in due course, as the finest player in the world.

Qatari-funded PSG paid Sao Paulo €45m for Lucas after he helped his club win the Copa Sudamericana last month and he joined the squad at their training camp in Doha.

Lucas said: “I will fight to fulfil my ambition to ne the world’s No1 because it’s the dream of all the Brazilian players so it has to be mine too.”

In Spain Iker Casillas, Real Madrid’s goalkeeper and captain, has said he will work to prove to coach Jose Mourinho that he deserves his place back in the side after being dropped him for last month’s last-match defeat at Malaga.

Madrid, ahead of Sunday’s visit of Real Sociedad, are seven points behind second-placed Atletico Madrid and 16 adrift of arch-rivals Barcelona.

Casillas said: “I have to battle, fight and try to get my place back. That’s the goal I have and I am hopeful the coach will choose me in the starting lineup on Sunday.”

Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova, on leave of absence during convalescence from a throat cancer operation, was well enough to end 2012 with a game of mini tennis with Adria, his son.

Adria, 15 and a player with Barcelona’s youth team, posted a photo of himself and his father on the court on his Twitter feed and noted: “This afternoon I said farewell to the year playing a game of padel with a special person.”

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