In the light of Yamal: What happened to previous players labeled “the next Messi”?

As Spain’s young superstar Lamine Yamal emerges from FC Barcelona’s famed youth academy La Masia, comparisons to Lionel Messi are inevitable. However, he is not the first to shoulder such expectations.

Over the years, many young talents have been hailed as the “next Messi,” each carrying the weight of immense promise and potential. Olybet.TV reflects on these prodigies, tracing their journeys and discovering where their careers have led them.

Bojan Krkic

Although Krkic is only three years younger than Messi, parallels were quickly drawn between the two. This was for good reason, as both dazzled the coaches at Barcelona’s youth academy, La Masia. In 2007, 17-year-old Krkic became the youngest player to represent Barcelona in La Liga, taking the record from Messi himself. However, he failed to break any more records held by the Argentine.

By 2011, it was clear to Barca that the Spaniard wouldn’t reach superstar status, and they sold him. After stints in Italy and the Netherlands, Krkic eventually ended up in rainy Stoke, in England, where he played until 2019 before moving across the ocean to finish his career. He retired at 32.

Gai Assulin

During the same period as Krkic, Assulin also shone at La Masia, attracting the interest of Manchester City, who cashed in on him. However, the promising addition didn’t materialize into anything significant, as the winger never took to the field in the sky-blue shirt.

The highlights of his career were a season in the Championship and two in the Spanish Second Division. After that, he moved to more exotic countries, showcasing his skills in Israel, Kazakhstan and Romania. Assulin retired at 30.

Alen Halilovic

In 2014, Barcelona tried their luck with a foreign youngster, acquiring 17-year-old Halilovic from Dinamo Zagreb. Although he played in the Spanish Second division for Barcelona B, his tally for the first team ended up being just one cup match.

By 2016, Halilovic had moved on to Hamburg, which loaned him to Las Palmas. Thus began the Croatian’s journeyman career: he later played for AC Milan, Standard Liège, Heerenveen, Birmingham City, Reading, Rijeka and most recently Fortuna Sittard.

Although such a career might impress for some, it’s certainly not what is expected of the “next Messi.”

Martin Odegaard

A decade ago, every major club in football – without exaggeration – clamored for the 15-year-old Norwegian wonderkid but Real Madrid were the ones who appeared to struck gold.

However, Odegaard did not fulfill the prophecy of becoming the “next Messi,” though this is not a slight on his abilities. He remains an exceptionally talented footballer, highlighted by Arsenal appointing him captain at 25. Yet, in comparison to Messi…

Iker Muniain

When Muniain made his professional debut for Athletic Bilbao at just 16, he quickly earned the nickname “Bilbao Messi.” Those shoes proved too big for the Basque, but in a certain sense, the parallel is fitting.

Muniain has remained loyal to his hometown club, turning down offers from prestigious clubs like Manchester United. Nevertheless, with 79 goals in 579 appearances, the statistics do not warrant a direct comparison to Messi.

Lee Seung-woo

Admittedly, the Messi comparison was primarily attempted in his homeland, but as he joined the renowned La Masia academy from South Korea at the age of 13, it can be understood.

Despite high hopes, Lee failed to make the expected breakthrough at the Catalan club and struggled to establish himself in Europe. After spells in Italy and Belgium, he returned to the South Korean league, where the 26-year-old currently excels.

Mauro Zarate

In Argentina, every talented young player is compared to either Maradona or Messi. Zarate was no exception, despite being the same age as Messi.

The striker, who scored prolifically in Argentina at just 19, did not replicate the same success in Europe. His best season saw him score 16 goals for Lazio in 41 games.

Not bad, but compared to Messi, who scored 38 goals in 51 games for Barcelona that season… it’s not even close. Furthermore, Zarate never reached double digits in goals in any other European season.

Juan Iturbe

Iturbe drew comparisons to Messi due to his playing style; the Paraguayan possessed similar dribbling skills and had a low center gravity. However, these comparisons largely ceased following his transfer from FC Porto to Italy in 2011.

By 2017, Iturbe had returned across the ocean to Mexico, currently the 31-year-old winger plies his trade in Brazil.

Jean Marie Dongou

Arriving at La Masia via Samuel Eto’o’s academy, the striker made three appearances for Barcelona’s first team during the 2013/14 season, but fell off after that.

What followed were several seasons in the Spanish Second Division, after what he embarked on journeys to more exotic destinations, including Finland, Greece and Japan.

Giovani Dos Santos

Dubbed the “Mexican Messi,” Dos Santos initially showed promise at FC Barcelona, making an impressive 38 appearances and scoring 4 goals in a season at just 18. However, his career trajectory took a downturn after moving to Tottenham Hotspur, where he struggled to secure a place in the starting lineup.

Subsequently, Dos Santos played for Mallorca and Villarreal in La Liga, but in 2015, at the age of 26, he opted to move to the USA, where he enjoyed lucrative contracts. He retired in his homeland in 2021.