Back in 2015, then-Barcelona star Lionel Messi selected 10 young footballers and tipped them for stardom in the future.
Imagine being one of those chosen; you’ve started building your reputation as a player to watch and suddenly one of the best ever to have played the game has mentioned you in dispatches. The spotlight would break as many as it emboldened.
We’ve investigated just how those 10 players have fared in the years since Messi’s endorsement.
Kenedy
After Kenedy starred for Fluminense in Brazil, Chelsea won the race for his signature in a £6.3 million deal in the summer of 2015.
The winger showcased glimpses of his talent and made 20 appearances in all competitions during a promising debut season at Stamford Bridge.
But he’s since become one of their perennial loanees, spending time at Watford, Newcastle United, Getafe and Granada.
The Brazilian signed a new contract with Chelsea in 2021 before returning to his homeland to represent Flamengo on a season-long loan deal but was recalled by Chelsea in January 2022 as they struggled for cover at wing-back.
Maxwel Cornet
Cornet refused to sign a new contract at his boyhood club Metz and joined Lyon in January 2015, shortly before being selected by Messi.
He made over 250 appearances for the club and was a key part of the side that reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2020.
After five and a half years at the Groupama Stadium, the Ivory Coast international opted for a new challenge and completed a £12.9million move to Burnley in 2021.
While Burnley endured a difficult 2021-22 season, Cornet was their standout player, scoring nine Premier League goals. With clubs seemingly lining up to take him back to the top flight, we doubt he’ll be at Burnley a great deal longer.
The fact he did this in one of his final appearances for the club means he might not be as fondly remembered as he deserves to be in Lancashire…
HOW DID CORNET MISS!?!
[IF THIS HAPPENED AGAINST EVERTON HE’D SLOT HOME EVERY TIME.] pic.twitter.com/lRC8fWIVfg
— Ed (@Dixies60) April 10, 2022
Jeremie Boga
A Chelsea academy product, Boga was tipped for a bright future at Stamford Bridge but made just one 18-minute appearance for the first team.
He was named in the starting Xl for their Premier League game against Burnley in August 2017, only to be withdrawn after Gary Cahill’s early dismissal.
After spending the rest of that season on loan at Birmingham City, the Ivory Coast international was then sold to…
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