Giovani lo Celso reveals how Lionel Messi showed faith in him

Giovani Lo Celso, a former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder, had an incredible Real Betis comeback, scoring a fantastic brace for the La Liga team. Prior to the transfer deadline, Betis paid merely £4 million to acquire the 28-year-old Argentina superstar, who signed a three-year contract with a chance to extend.

On Wednesday, he made his first start for the team in more than five years and stunned the crowd by scoring twice during the second half to secure a 2-0 victory over Getafe. In the meantime, Tottenham, who continue to nurse their wounds after their defeat to Arsenal in the north London derby, saved face versus Coventry during their Carabao Cup encounter.

After the game, the midfielder spoke to the media as he said, "I'm happy with the win, it was important to get three points against a tough opponent. It was a very big relief, we ended up suffering a little more than necessary, but we added three points that put us up there. This is the way to go."

There were high hopes for him when he moved from Real Betis to Tottenham Hotspur in 2018, first on loan, then permanently for £27 million. After Lionel Messi's unannounced departure from FC Barcelona in 2021, a certain portion of the Spanish press even suggested Lo Celso as the football icon's possible successor.

“I was really grateful for his belief in me” : Giovani Lo Celso

Even Messi praised Lo Celso as the best midfield player Argentina had available at the time. He claimed to have enjoyed playing under Ange Postecoglou for a while last season, but in the end, he didn't fit into the Australian's plans at Spurs.

The Argentina playmaker said, "I was really grateful for his belief in me, so I worked hard and showed every day that I wanted to be here and play. I've felt really comfortable in training and in the way he coaches. I love his idea of football which gave me the belief that I could find a place in his team. The coaching staff have helped as well as my teammates.”