Lionel Messi tipped 15 youngsters for greatness in 2020 - where are they now? | OneFootball

Lionel Messi’s 2022 World Cup win may well have cemented his status as the greatest player of all time.

The World Cup was seen as the missing piece of the puzzle as far as Messi is concerned.

He has now completed football and can retire with absolutely no regrets.

What will Messi do after he hangs up those boots of his?

Will he stay in football and become a manager?

If he does, you’d like to think he would be pretty good judging how good players are.

Well, Messi put himself to the test in 2020.

In March 2020, .

Not only that but he also wrote a sentence or two about each player.

Two-and-a-half years later, how have those 15 players got on?

Let’s take a look:

Trent Alexander-Arnold – “A full-back who is impressive going forward, it is the future.”

Alexander-Arnold is still at Liverpool and is on his way to becoming a club legend at Anfield. He’s still only 24 but has already got his hands on the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup, Community Shield, Super Cup and Club World Cup.

Christian Pulisic – “He has great balance and agility.”

Pulisic is something of a bit-part player at Chelsea and may need to move on for more opportunities. He’s scored just once in 19 appearances in all competitions this season.

Mason Mount – “Having watched him play he has the potential to be one of the best.”

One of those players keeping Mount out of the Chelsea side is Mount. He’s one of the stars at Stamford Bridge.

Phil Foden – “He will do amazing things in the game. He has huge talent.”

Foden is one of the best midfielders in world football having forced his way into Pep Guardiola’s plans at Manchester City. He’s already doing ‘amazing things in the game’ as Messi predicted.

Jadon Sancho – “His ability to dribble past defenders is impressive.”

Sancho’s move to Manchester United was supposed to take him to the next level but things haven’t exactly worked out for the winger. There’s still plenty of time for the 22-year-old to turn his career at Old Trafford around.

Luka Jovic – “A magical player who makes the impossible, possible.”

Jovic’s big-money move to Real Madrid didn’t work out and he returned to Frankfurt on loan. The striker now finds himself at Fiorentina and perhaps isn’t quite the ‘magical’ player Messi thought he was.

Kai Havertz – “His composure in front of goal is so impressive for such a young player”

Havertz is a player that divides attention at Chelsea but is still playing regularly for the Blues. It’s interesting Messi picked out his ‘composure in front of goal’ despite only scoring 14 goals in 47 matches last season.

Eder Militao – “A phenomenal talent and fierce competitor.”

Militao is now 24 and is now an established centre back for Real Madrid.

Ousmane Dembele – “His pace is frightening in training.”

At one point, it looked as though Dembele’s Barcelona career was over but he’s recovered well and is beginning to fulfil his incredible potential.

Houssem Aouar – “He is always calm with the ball at his feet with an excellent technical quality.”

Aouar still hasn’t made the move away from Lyon that he’s been threatening for many years. Injuries have stunted his progress of late and the opportunity for that big move may have been and gone.

Frenkie de Jong – “One of the most accomplished passers I have ever seen for his age.”

Manchester United chased De Jong for the entire summer but the Dutchman remained at Barcelona.

Joao Felix – “One of the most exciting young players in the world right now.”

Diego Simeone doesn’t appear to fancy Felix but the Portuguese showed he’s still got incredible talent during the World Cup this winter. A move away from Atleti in the near future looks likely.

Kylian Mbappe – “He is so fast and he can finish. Very dangerous.”

When Messi named these 15 players two-and-a-half years ago, he probably didn’t think he would soon become teammates with the Frenchman. And he proved just how ‘dangerous’ he was with a hat-trick in the recent World Cup final.

Joshua Kimmich – “A hugely talented full-back who provides so many assists.”

Kimmich isn’t too much of a full-back these days – and isn’t exactly young at 27. But he’s still running the show in the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich.

Benjamin Pavard – “A classy defender who can strike a ball so well.”

Messi was definitely thinking of THAT 2018 World Cup goal when talking about Pavard and his ball-striking ability. Pavard is still at Bayern Munich but has been linked with a move to Barcelona.

You can find all of the latest football news and rumours right here.

(The Football Terrace)