Lionel Messi. It is a name that has fascinated the world of football for close to two decades. 681 goals, 315 assists, seven Ballon d’Or, 10 La Liga titles, four Champions League and the list, goes on and on.
The Argentine’s influence has been such that many have dubbed him the greatest player ever to play football. And so clubs, media and fans alike started to search for the next Lionel Messi, the next superstar who would dazzle the footballing world like the original Messi.
This led to a trend where a player with enormous potential and talent was dubbed the ‘next Messi’. From Japan in the east to Mexico in the west, it seemed as if a Messi was being christened every year. Sometimes the tag was given by the coach of the respective player, sometimes by the media.
So, how did the respective Messi’s fare in their career?
Takefusa Kubo – The Japanese Messi
Dubbed the Messi of the Land of the Rising Sun, Takefusa Kubo still has the chance to fulfil his potential. The 20-year-old joined Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy His freakish goal scoring ability led to his promotion from Barcelona under 11s to under 14s. However, his time at Barcelona came to an abrupt end as FIFA found Barcelona violating the transfer rules for players under the age of 18.
FIFA placed a transfer ban on Barcelona, which meant that he was not eligible to play for the Catalan club. So, he returned to Japan and joined FC Tokyo’s youth team. He became both their youngest player and goal scorer in the J League.
His performances caught the interest of Real Madrid, who signed him in 2019. Since then, he has been on a loan spree and currently plays for La Liga side RCD Mallorca.
Takefusa Kubo scored a goal for Japan and which nutmegged 4 players. pic.twitter.com/2QXlZ6dep7
— Gol Gol Haō (@longbengrower) May 9, 2022
Mohamed Salah – The Egyptian Messi
By the end of his career, Mohamed Salah will be the player that may come the closest to emulating Messi’s…
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