Saul spent hours watching videos of Gerrard growing up, says father

Atletico Madrid star Saul spent hours watching old videos of Liverpool and England midfielder Steven Gerrard, according to the player’s father. 

Saul has been at Atletico since the age of 13, joining their youth academy in 2008. After breaking into the first-team squad, Saul has gone on to make 213 appearances in all competitions for Los Rojiblancos.

His form earned him the reward of an incredible nine-year-contract with Atletico in June of last year, which will take him to 2026 and 18 years of service if he chooses to see it out.

The 23-year-old’s father has revealed how his son spent hours watching footage of Liverpool legend Gerrard in a bid to emulate the player’s performances growing up.

Speaking via French publication So Foot, Saul’s father, José Antonio Ñiguez, said: “He spent hours watching videos of [Gerrard], which is why he maybe looks a bit like him on the pitch.

“My son is box-to-box, as they say in England. In Spain, it’s a profile that never really existed, which is why Saúl, in this country, is seen as the prototype of the modern midfielder.”

To date, Saul has scored 29 times for Atletico and assisted a further 15 goals for his teammates. At present, Atletico sit fourth in La Liga after seven games, two points behind joint-leaders Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Atletico’s next fixture comes this Sunday when they host visitors Real Betis, who are one place behind Diego Simeone’s side in fifth.

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