Carles Aleña hails impact of Lionel Messi after first-team promotion | OneFootball

Carles Aleña has revealed how Lionel Messi helped him during his breakthrough into the Barcelona first-team this season.

The 21-year-old was promoted from Barcelona B in December, and has since made 15 appearances under Ernesto Valverde.

Graduating from the famous academy brings considerable expectation but Aleñá believes Messi could call on his experience to help others.

“Messi acts like a captain and he helped me a lot when I came into the setup,” he told Marca.

“He told me to play quietly because there’s always pressure in the first team, but in the end you play with stars.

“He made me feel bigger, he’s a really nice guy. Everything has happened so fast but I’m enjoying it a lot.

“I’ve been at the club for 14 years and I’ve seen my idols a thousand times on TV or on the pitch,” the Spaniard added.

“And now I share experiences with them now on a daily basis in the dressing room and on the pitch.

“It’s a dream come true and I’m learning a lot.”

Aleña is currently on Spain Under-21 duty and made his debut during Thursday’s 1-0 win over Romania.