RYAN GAULD admits he wishes he could ditch his Mini Messi nickname after scoring a double for Sporting Lisbon in only his third start for the Portuguese giants.
Sporting went on to lose 3-2 to Beleneses in the League Cup tie, but the £2.2m former Dundee United player won all the plaudits.
However, he wants to drop his nickname, in honour of Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi. He said: "I'd rather not have that nickname. I don't want to follow players, I want to make my own way in football.
"I know a lot is expected of me, but I want to take it one step at a time. I'm still young, I still have a lot to learn, but I'm very happy with how things are going. It will take time to getting used to both the football here and life in Portugal.
"Of course, I would rather we had won this game, but I was pleased to score."
Gauld could feature again in Gordon Strachan's Scotland squad for the friendly against Northern Ireland in March and the Euro 2016 qualifier against Gibraltar.
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