Almost since Lionel Messi’s career began, the world has been trying to identify his successor.
It happened with Pele, with Maradona, George Best and the original Brazilian Ronaldo before, but
Messi’s brilliance has inspired imitations and comparisons at an unprecedented level.
But what happened to all of those New Messis?
Bojan Krkic was an obvious one. Slight, skilful and a product of La Masia with a choirboy haircut,
he was never going to avoid the Messi comparison. He would never approach the same heights,
of course, but he would still have a respectable career, which took in Roma,
AC Milan, Ajax and… well, Stoke City…
and he’s now playing alongside Andres Iniesta and Sergi Samper for Vissel Kobe in the J.League.
Gai Assulin was another La Masia graduated destined to be lumbered with the comparison.
With his long, straggly hair, he probably looked more like Messi than Bojan. He may
not hve delivered on his promise, but he certainly travelled the world. There were no senior league
appearances for Barcelona, nor Manchester City after he moved there, but he did play in the
Segunda Division for Mallorca and Granada, before embarking on a global tour. Assulin has played in
the Romania second division, also for Hapoel Tel Aviv in his native Israel, and Kazakhstan too.
Still just 30, he can currently be found in Italy’s fourth tier.
On signing Mauro Zarate, Lazio President Claudio Lotito wasn’t exactly bashful,
justifying the €25m as good value because – quote – “Zarate will turn out better than Lionel Messi.”
25 goals in four Serie A season said differently,
and Zarate departed in 2013 on the long roads of a journeyman’s career.
Japan has a current New Messi in Take Kubo, but its original was Ryo Miyaichi,
the Arsenal winger who was derailed by injuries. Scotland had one too in Ryan Gauld
and German staked their claim with Marko Marin, who burned very brightly at Werder
Bremen before disappearing at Chelsea and playing – in order – for Sevilla, Fiorentina,
Anderlecht, Trabzonspor, Olympiacos, Red Star Belgrade, Al-Ahli, Al Raed, and Ferencvaros.
During his time at Basel, Mohamed Salah was known as the Egyptian Messi and – well – that
turned out quite well, didn’t it. Similarly, England and Chelsea’s Fran Kirby was referred to
by former England Women’s coach Mark Sampson as “mini Messi” and the description stuck.
Still, a two-time PFA Player of the Year, Kirby has lived up to it.
The Cameroonian Lionel Messi is actually… Lionel Messi. Lionel Messi Nyamsi has
pottered about the French lower divisions for much of his career and as a tall,
defensively minded midfielder or centre-half, his chances of living up to his namesake were limited.
Youssef Msakni was supposed to be Tunisia’s first real superstar. His shuttling dribbling
style and sometimes extravagant flair made early comparisons irresistible,
but much of his career – and success – has come in Qatar.
Nelson Bustamente was a different sort of New Messi. He was plucked from the streets of Chile,
where he was found earning money by freestyling for passing motorists. An agent engineered a move
to Italian side Brescia, who – like Barcelona and Messi before – even paid for Bustamente’s
growth hormone deficiency treatment. He’s 28 now, but currently without a club.
Giovani Dos Santos is without a club now too,
but he’s had a good career. Another who came through La Masia with exciting dribbling ability
and an eye for an artistic goal. His best years came in MLS and for the Mexican national team.
Newcastle United nearly signed a New Messi – the North Korean version, though.
Jong Il-Gwan was once upon a time an Asian Football Confederation youth player of the year,
but he never quite made it to the North-East of England. He
had brief spell in Switzerland and is now back in his native Sariwon.
Africa has had a whole host of new Messis, some of them quite successful. Nigeria’s Moses Simon
came through the Golden Boot Soccer Academy in Kaduna, before moving to
Ajax as a teenager and going on to decent spells at Gent and – currently – Nantes.
Ogo Obi was also anointed by the Nigerian media when he went on trial with Manchester United.
This next Messi didn’t make the grade at Old Trafford, but he was signed by Watford
is currently playing in England’s Isthmian League for Hanwell Town.
With his tiny frame and quick, skilful feet, it wasn’t hard to see why Christian Atsu was billed
as another new Messi, or why Chelsea fans were excited when he was signed from Porto in 2013.
Alas, he would really just be another member of
the club’s loan army and is currently playing his football in Saudi Arabia.
Walid Soliman was a new Egyptian Messi before Mohamed Salah. He was also very left-footed
and highly talented, but he spent almost all of his career in his domestic league.
And, as you might expect, South America has claimed a small army of new Messis.
Erik Lamela has had success in Europe, so too Peruvian Raul Ruidaz. Lauturo Comas,
Alex Rodriguez and David Barbona have all dealt with the comparison too, so did Pablo Piatti,
the tiny, mercurial Diego Buananotte and Juan Iturbe, who was briefly on-loan at Bournemouth.
Luan Vieira was supposed to be Brazil’s answer to Messi, as was Jean Chera, who had to cope with
those expectations as a child. He retired at just 21 and is now an eSports player.
Moving up into central America - Mexico has bred two new New Messis: Real Betis’s Diego Lainez, and
Lazio’s Luka Romero, who was born in Durango City but actually represents Argentina internationally.
Romero is a 5ft5 left-footed attacking midfielder with long hair,
who likes the ball at his feet. He was never not going to be compared to Leo Messi.
But these players come from everywhere and are all shapes and sizes. During our research,
Tifo found hundreds of players who have been compared to Messi – by people within the game,
by journalists, by fans – and there just wasn’t enough room to include them all.
So here are a few more:
And a few others:
And just a couple more: