5 players who were dubbed to be the next Lionel Messi

#3 Bojan Krkic

Bojan's career is a tale of misfortune

When Lionel Messi first broke through the ranks at La Masia, Barcelona's youth coaches were so stunned by his sheer potential that they were sure that his alien-like abilities were one of a kind. Along came Catalan prodigy Bojan Krkic, however, and nonchalantly dismantled Lionel Messi's goalscoring records at the academy to announce himself to the world.

With over 900 goals for Barcelona's youth teams, Bojan Krkic was touted as Lionel Messi's second coming. The La Masia youngster made his first-team debut at the age of 17 and was a part of Barcelona's all-conquering side under Pep Guardiola.

With David Villa, Lionel Messi, and Pedro in the mix, however, Bojan struggled to find his place in a team that had already dismantled some of the biggest clubs in Europe with their intriguing style of play. Barcelona's prodigious youngster went through nomadic spells in Italy, England, and the Netherlands and was never able to do justice to his incredible talent.

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#2 Mario Gotze

Mario Gotze had immense potential

Very few players in recent years have been asked to outshine the insurmountable Lionel Messi. Joachim Low, however, needed only a few months with Mario Gotze to realise that the young German was a world-class player in the making.

Mario Gotze made a name for himself as a teenage for Borussia Dortmund and also played as a false nine for the team under Jurgen Klopp. The German starlet was snapped up by Bayern Munich and was touted by club legends including the great Franz Beckenbauer as the next Lionel Messi.

Gotze spoils Messi’s World Cup dream, then asks for a photo with him. http://t.co/VWg9E5Inhx pic.twitter.com/Vz63G71Pcn

— B/R Football (@brfootball) July 15, 2014

While Gotze did have his problems with the Bavarian giants and was unable to take his club career to the next level, the German is the only player on this list to achieve the one trophy that has often eluded Lionel Messi. In the final of the 2014 World Cup, Mario Gotze scored a famous extra-time goal against Lionel Messi's Argentina to win Germany the most prestigious title in world football.

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#1 Paulo Dybala

Paulo Dybala is an excellent player

Argentine footballers are known for their creative flair and have occupied a unique place in the sport over the years. As far as left-footed magicians are concerned, however, Lionel Messi was the sole bearer of the beacon till a certain Paulo Dybala stormed into the limelight in 2015.

The Argentine starlet became the Bianconeri's talisman after Paul Pogba's departure the following year and has been crucial to Juventus' success in the Serie A. Dybala produced a landmark performance against Lionel Messi and Barcelona in the 2017 UEFA Champions League and proved his mettle against one of Europe's giants.

Dybala can be next Messi at Real Madrid or Barcelona - Zamparinihttps://t.co/uoBwXXfxlB

— AS English (@English_AS) November 11, 2020

Paulo Dybala has had his issues in recent years, however, and has been unable to make an impact for the Argentina national team. The Juventus forward has spades of talent and will want to take his place as Lionel Messi's heir for his country.

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Honourable Mentions: Martin Odegaard, Alan Dzagoev, Marko Marin, Ryan Gauld, Giovanni Dos Santos, Ryo Miyaichi, Sardar Azmoun

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