5 Players who could be the next Messi

Lionel Messi is the greatest magician of all time without a doubt. He has the ability to create something out of nothing and can do whatever he wants to on the football field. He has been a legendary player and has fascinated the footballing fraternity with his glorious skills. It is him and Ronaldo who have ensured that football has been able to witness something unique in the 21st century.

The Little Man's dribbling skills are a joy to the eye and one can never stop admiring them. He has electric pace and with him in the team, there is absolutely no need for teams to worry about anything. One can never forget about his direct free-kicks that most of his attempts manage to go in.

Also See: La Liga Top scorers | La liga Fixtures

The Argentinian has kept Barcelona alive in all competitions due to his scintillating form. He has scored an amazing 30 times and assisted 17 goals in just 31 games this season. The Barcelona ace has averaged just 52 minutes for either a goal or an assist. He has been in staggering form this season and has been in such form over the last decade or so.

However, he can't play forever and will have to hang up his boots at some stage. It is nearly impossible to replace such a great player, but there are a few who have been compared to him and have the ability to try to take over the reins.

#5 Pietro Pellegri

Pietro Pellegri is a 17-year-old Italian starlet who has quite a few records to his name already. He made his Serie A debut for Genoa when he was 15 years and 280 days old and became the joint youngest player to have played in the league. He scored a brace when he was 16 years old and has the second highest transfer fee for a 16-year-old. He also became the youngest player in Monaco's history and there a couple of other records, to his already long list achievements.

He has missed the majority of this season for Monaco due to groin injury. He has played 79 minutes spread across 3 games and scored once. He is close to making a return, and he will provide the team with a valuable boost. He was called up to the Italian squad for the UEFA Nations League games against Portugal and Poland but had to remain on the bench due to a minor injury.

The Italian has been hailed as the next Messi due to his dribbling and speed and has also been touted as the next big thing in Italian football.

#4 Martin Odegaard

Norway Training Session and Press Conference

Like the bloke in the previous slide, Martin Odegaard also holds a couple of records. He became the youngest player to represent Norway at the senior level and made his debut for them when he was 15 years and 253 days old. He also became the youngest player for Real Madrid when he was 16 years and 157 days old.

The Norwegian is a very creative player and is very handy when it comes to set-piece situations. He is good at long range shooting and has scored some wonder-goals at the tender age of 20. The youngster is also good dribbling, and a player with all these skills will definitely be compared to the great Lionel Messi.

He was bought by Real Madrid for €2.8 million 2015, but has regularly been loaned out to other clubs for his development. Currently, he plies his trade for Eredivisie club, Vitesse. He has scored 7 goals and assisted 4 times in 23 games.

What the stats don't tell you is the creative aspect of his play. He averages 3.2 key passes, 36.4 passes, 1.9 crosses and 1.8 Long-balls per game, making him one of the most creative players in the Eredivise. If he can go back to Real Madrid or move to a club with better strikers, he can definitely go on to become a top play-maker.

All stats from Transfermarkt and Whoscored

#3 Marco Asensio

Another Real Madrid player in the form of Marco Asensio makes it to the list. The Spanish International is one of the most talented youngsters in world football and is highly rated for his skills. A creative player, who has the ability to shoot from long range with a gifted left foot will obviously be compared to Messi. Infact, Zidane has said that Asensio's left foot is as good Lionel Messi's.

He is just 23-years old and has already created waves in the football fraternity. He has shown glimpses of his talent with Los Blancos, but has never delivered the kind of performances that are expected from him. The former Espanyol player has netted and assisted 5 times each in 31 games this season. These stats aren't good enough for a player of his quality, but with time he will mature and start delivering the attacking returns on a more regular basis.

#2 Ousmane Dembele

The French World Cup winner has taken his game to the next level this season, thanks to the scintillating performances he has put in day. He has even outshone the likes of Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho and in many ways has been their best player after Lionel Messi. The left-winger has shown his true potential this season and has even evoked comparisons with Messi.

He has scored 13 goals and assisted 6 in 31 games. Quite a few of those goals have been scored at crucial junctures of the game and have been the winning goals, showing his ability to deliver the goods at the right time.

The 21-year-old is the 5th best dribbler in Europe's Top 5 leagues and averages just 21.7 minutes per successful dribble. His dribbling skills and play-making abilities are nearly as good as Messi's. If he can continue to evolve as a player, Barcelona won't have to bother about finding a replacement for the all-time great.

#1 Paulo Dybala

Argentine sensation, Paulo Dybala has been compared to his countryman time and again and is considered by many as his replacement. In fact, their playing styles are so similar that, Argentina has failed to accommodate them in a team together.

Also Read: 5 players who could become the next Ronaldo

He has been hailed by many as one of the best forwards in the world and has the potential to dictate the proceedings of a game. The 25-year-old has scored 9 goals and assisted 6 goals in 31 games. Those stats aren't great for someone like Dybala, but he has shown signs of improvement. In his last 400 minutes of action in the Serie A, he has scored 4 goals and assisted twice, indicating a return to form.

The Juventus No.10 is similar to Messi in almost every aspect of the game, with the most notable ones being taking direct free-kicks and set-pieces, scoring long range beauties, crossing and key passes.

Edited by Abhinav Munshi