16 Players Who Were Called 'The Next Lionel Messi': Where Are They Now? | OneFootball

Few names in football echo as loudly as Lionel Messi, who, in the eyes of many, is the best player to ever grace the sport.

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Messi's legacy is one few can match, with his unique blend of dribbling, pace, and deadly finishing leading to many fearing that no one will ever be able to match his output and impact on the game.

However, over the years, countless players have been dubbed as 'the next Messi' although none have been able to match what the Argentinian wizard could do with the ball at his feet.

So, join GIVEMESPORT as we look at 16 players who, at some stage in their career, were dubbed as 'the next Messi, diving into where they are now.

16 Martin Odegaard

Probably the best player on this list, who got the closest to Lionel Messi is Martin Odegaard.

Despite that, even Odegaard's biggest fans will admit that he's a considerable way off being even nearly as good as The GOAT.

Touted as 'the next Messi' at a tender age, the now-Arsenal captain's path has not been straightforward. Odegaard is now viewed as one of the best players in the league, a position that many people thought he'd fill when he joined Real Madrid at the age of just 15.

However, despite that big move, it took the Norwegian a while to get going, with many fearing that it just wouldn't work out for him.

15 Lee Seung-woo

Once called the 'Korean Messi', Lee Seung-woo's career has seen him play in Italy, Holland and Portugal, but never reach the heights of the great Messi.

With less than 20 career goals to his name, the 25-year-old who came through at Barcelona is now playing Suwon FC in Korea. It seems unlikely that he'll ever reach the heights that his early potential promised.

14 Mateusz Musiałowski

Musiałowski joined Liverpool with a lot of excitement, but just a few years after being called 'the Polish Messi' the winger looks set to leave Anfield and return to his homeland.

A few of the goals Mateusz scored, as well as his overall play, led to pundits and fans claiming that his style mirrored Messi's, although it seems like his career definitely will not.

Musiałowski has struggled to even break into Liverpool's various youth teams, and according to reports from local papers, he could be set to leave the club this summer.

13 Gelson Martins

After an impressive spell at Sporting CP, Gelson Martins was compared to Messi, and even Cristiano Ronaldo, but he's been unable to emulate the work and output of either man.

Martins remains a key player for Monaco in Ligue 1, having scored 11 goals in 87 league games, so while he might not have gone on to become the 'next Messi', the 28-year-old has still had a respectable career.

12 Iker Muniain

Iker Muniain, once called 'the Spanish Messi', has remained a one-club man, staying loyal to Athletic Bilbao throughout the entirety of his career.

While not reaching Messi's level, Muniain has become an icon at Bilbao, scoring 54 league goals in over 400 games (via Transfermrkt) for the club, and has enjoyed a successful career in La Liga.

11 Ryo Miyaichi

Once called the 'Japanese Messi', Ryo Miyaichi, is playing for Yokohama F. Marinos in the Japanese first division.

Fans might remember that Arsenal clearly saw the potential in Miyaichi, who many thought could go on to become a world-beater, when he was signed by Arsene Wenger in 2011.

Miyaichi clearly wasn't as good as the scouts thought he was going to be though, and after having just one league appearance for Arsenal, left the Gunners back in 2015.

10 Munir

Another player to come through Barcelona's academy, just like Messi, many pundits were seriously excited about the potential of Munir El Haddadi.

Munir has played in La Liga for all of his career, scoring 40 league goals in 204 games during his spells at Sevilla, Alaves, Valencia, Getafe and even Barcelona, where he made 33 appearances.

Munir's time in football has been decent, with the winger having won La Liga, the Europa League, the Champions League and the Club World Cup, but even he'd admit that he hasn't had a career that resembles Messi's.

9 Yassine Benzia

Coming through Lyon youth academy, before moving on to Lille, the French-Algerian player was another player that was once nicknamed 'the next Messi'.

Despite all that promise, Benzia has massively failed to reach his expected heights, and now plays his football in Azerbaijan with Qarabag.

8 Ryan Gould

A name that football manager fans will know, Ryan Gould, who was nicknamed the 'Scottish Messi' during his youth, has failed to live up to his potential.

Gould's coaches had high hopes for him as a youngster, but a move from Dundee to Sporting CP in Portugal really hampered his development, and he now plays in the MLS, at the age of 27, with the Vancouver Whitecaps.

7 Marko Marin

Once dubbed the "German Messi", Marko Marin's career hasn't quite lived up to that tag.

After a series of transfers and loans, which even saw him join Chelsea, Marin has been without a club for the past year, and clearly hasn't been able to meet the expectations that were placed on him as a youngster.

6 Juan Iturbe

Juan Iturbe was often compared to Messi due to his dribbling and low centre of gravity, but unfortunately hasn't come close to emulating the Argentian's career.

The winger, who now plays his football for Gremio in Brazil, enjoyed a decent career in Italy with Roma, as well as Torino and Hellas Verno.

The Paraguayan even had a loan spell with Bournemouth in the Premier League, but has ultimately failed to meet expectations, despite clearly being a delayed player.

5 Alen Halilovic

Alen Halilovic was once compared to Messi after his move to Barcelona in 2014, but the Croatian has fallen off since then.

Halilovic failed to make a single appearance in the league during his two years at Barcelona, and found himself playing at Reading in the Championship during the 2021/22 season.

The midfielder now plays for Fortuna Sittard in Holland, and unfortunately for him, hasn't been able to be anywhere near as good as Barcelona hoped he'd be when they signed him.

4 Jean Marie Dongou

At one point, Jean Marie Dongou, another La Masia graduate, was compared to Messi.

Dongou, who came through the 'Samuel Eto'o academy before joining Barcelona, is now without a club, having left second-division Greek side Anagennisi Karditsa FC last year.

Dongou can always say he was a Barcelona player, having made one league appearance during his year at the club, but simply cannot say he was even close to being as good as Messi.

3 Giovani Dos Santos

A product of La Masia, Giovani dos Santos, was also dubbed 'the next Messi' whilst coming through the Spainish giants academy.

Things initially seemed quite promising for the Mexican, who scored three goals in 26 league games for Barcelona, before securing a move to England with Tottenham in 2008.

The tricky midfielder then bounced around Spain, Turkey and even the USA with LA Galaxy, but has been without a club since 2021 when his spell with America, a top club in Mexico, came to an end.

2 Gerard Deulofeu

Having graduated from Barcelona's academy, Gerard Deulofeu was tipped to follow in Messi's footsteps.

But after spells in England with the likes of Watford and Everton, and Italy with AC Milan and Udinese, even Deulofeu would admit that that hasn't happened.

The winger has still had a decent career through, scoring 69 goals in just over 300 club games, as well as having made four appearances for the Spanish national team, where he's scored one goal.

1 Bojan

Once hailed the proper heir to Messi's thrown, even while the Argentinian was still relatively young, Bojan Krkic was catapulted into the limelight when he made his debut for Barcelona at just 17.

Today, he's still playing professional football, albeit at Vissel Kobe in Japan, the club that fellow former Barcelona star Andres Iniesta also used to play for.

Prior to his move to Japan, Bojan played for the likes of Stoke, Ajax and Roma, and enjoyed a decent career, but the pressure of being compared to Messi probably didn't help his development, and he didn't go on to do the things that many thought he'd do.

At the end of the day, Lionel Messi, in the eyes of many, is not only the best player of the 21st century, but even the best player of all time.

So, you can't really blame any of the players on this list for, whatever reason, failing to be as good as the Barcelona legend, and have a career as decorated as his.

It's nothing against the players, many of whom are incredibly talented, as it's no easy feat to even be half as good as the Argentinian wizard has been throughout his career.

However, the fact that many of the players on this list failed to make a real impact in any real way, and have had disappointing careers, serves as a warning against putting pressure on players too early on.