Russian Media Compares Aleksey Batrakov to Messi

Galatasaray's 21-year-old player Aleksey Batrakov continues to make headlines in the Russian press for his performances. Former Russian player Pavel Pogrebnyak made a notable assessment of the young footballer, who has been featured in Russian headlines with a Messi comparison.

Galatasaray beat Amed Sportif Faaliyetler 4-3. Batrakov contributed to the own goal scored by the visiting goalkeeper Lafont in the 45th minute. In the 59th minute, he found the net with a shot from the edge of the penalty area.

Batrakov scored 4 goals in the last 3 UEFA Champions League matches. He scored one goal in each of his last 2 Süper Lig matches. He has reached a total of 6 goals in a Galatasaray shirt. The Russian sports site Sport24 announced the player with the headline "Batrakov = Messi". Sportbox, meanwhile, wrote under the headline "Batrakov has truly turned into a beast", and the report stated that the Russian player refused to leave the pitch without scoring a goal.

Reports noted that Batrakov became one of the favorite names among Galatasaray fans after scoring two goals against Stuttgart. Having his name sung to the tune of Kalinka and going to the stands at the end of matches to thank the fans played a role in strengthening this bond.

Pogrebnyak argued that Batrakov made the right decision by transferring to Galatasaray. He said he saw the sparkle in Batrakov's eyes when he stepped onto the pitch, how his teammates welcomed him after he scored, and how team leader Osimhen treated him. Pogrebnyak also said Batrakov could come onto the transfer agenda of Europe's big clubs.