5 players who failed to live up to expectations after being dubbed as the next Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi is arguably one of the best players to have graced the game. During a legendary, nearly two-decade-long career for club and country, he has scored goals and won titles galore.

The six-time Ballon d'Or winner has particularly mesmerized with his ability to wriggle out of tight spaces, dribble at pace and, of course, his magical left foot. Thus, a lot of players over the years have been compared with the Argentine magician for varying reasons.

Unsurprisingly, not many have lived up to that lofty tag. On that note, here's a look at five such players (in no particular order) who have struggled to live up to expectations after they were dubbed the next Lionel Messi.

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#5 Alen Halilovic

Alen Halilovic has been compared to Lionel Messi.

Alen Halilovic is one of umpteen players who have been compared with Lionel Messi.

He played a game for Barcelona before he was shipped off to Hamburg in the Bundesliga. He has changed a few more clubs since then. But Halilovic has not come close to emulating Messi's exploits.

Now at Reading in the Championship, the 25-year-old attacking midfielder has scored once and assisted twice in five games.

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#4 Gai Assulin

Gai Assulin has been compared with Lionel Messi.

Gai Assulin is another player who has struggled to live up to comparisons with Lionel Messi.

Just like the others on the list, though, the winger failed under the weight of expectations. He was with Barcelona at the start of his career, but failed to break into their first team. Assulin admitted his struggles and comparisons with Messi in an interview a few years back.

In the next decade, the Israeli would bounce around several clubs, but never found a place to settle in. Now 32, he plays for AC Crema in Serie D in Italy.

#3 Marko Marin

Marko Marin was likened with Lionel Messi.

Marko Marin was likened with Lionel Messi for the similarities in the two players' playing styles. In fact, he was also likened with his compatriot Mesut Ozil.

In over 460 career appearances, he has managed a decent haul of 68 goals and 116 assists. But as things turned out, Marin has largely failed to emulate the exploits of either player for club and country.

Now at Ferencvaros in Hungary, the 32-year-old will look for a better campaign as he winds down his career.

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#2 Juan Iturbe

Juan Iturbe

Juan Iturbe is another player who was compared with Lionel Messi. But the winger has largely failed to live up to those lofty heights.

The Paraguayan international has turned up for a plethora of clubs across countries. But his return of 32 goals and 25 assists in almost 300 career games across age groups doesn't come close to that of Messi's.

The 28-year-old is now at Greek Super League 1 club Aris Thessaloniki, whom he joined only this summer.

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#1 Bojan Krkic

Bojan Krkic was compared with Lionel Messi.

Bojan Krkic was not just compared with Lionel Messi; he was touted to be better than the Argentinean.

Just as Messi began to break out in the 2006-07 season, Krkic was obliterating all kinds of records while at Barcelona's La Masia academy. The then 17-year-old was soon drafted into the Blaugrana first team, becoming the youngest Barcelona player to make his La Liga debut.

Considering his prolific exploits in youth football, Krkic was expected to emulate Messi's records. He certainly made a great start, scoring 12 goals across competitions in 2007-08. However, Krkic's returns diminished, and the 2008-09 treble winner was shipped off to AS Roma.

More than a decade later, the 31-year-old, hailed as the next Lionel Messi, has bounced around various clubs, but could not really settle at one. Now at Japan's Vissel Kobe, Krkic remains a classic case of what might have been.