Malappuram boy Mishal Aboulais has earned praise from football stars Angel di Maria, Carles Puyol and Rio Ferdinand for his stunning free-kick a la Lionel Messi which has gone viral on social media.
The 12-year-old Mishal is a huge fan of Argentine captain Messi. Paris Saint-Germain midfielder di Maria, who is Messi's national teammate, and Spain's World Cup-winning defender Puyol took to Instagram to show their appreciation for the boy.
Former Manchester United and England defender Ferdinand was quick to spot how closely Mishal has copied Messi's style as the boy even spat just like the Argentine talisman before taking the free-kick.
Mishal is a seventh standard student of Kattumunda Government UP School. He was encouraged by his brother Wajid to pick up the sport and has been training at the Rainbow Academy, Mampad, for the past four years.
Wajid, a member of MES Mampad College football team, has been Mishal's biggest source of inspiration. Football runs in the family as his father Aboulais is a former player of Friends Mampad FC and Malappuram district team.
The video of Mishal scoring a pinpoint left-footed free-kick was captured by his brother and shared on social media.