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What's the story?
Former Barcelona star Gerard Deulofeu has admitted that being called the 'new Messi' made his life difficult, claiming that the expectations made it harder for him at Barcelona.
In case you didn't know...
After coming up through the ranks of La Masia and Barcelona youth teams, Deulofeu found it hard to find his feet with the first team. The Spaniard featured for Everton, Sevilla, Milan and Barcelona before finally making a permanent move to Watford. The 25-year-old had spent his career moving from one club to another but Deulofeu looks well at home with Watford.
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Deulofeu has racked up 9 goals and 5 assists so far in what looks like a fruitful Premier League campaign for Watford. Deulofeu also scored the winner in the FA Cup semi-finals against Wolves to help his team reach the final of the competition. Watford are currently 10th in the Premier League table but they can finish at the eighth spot if things go in their favour in the final matchday.
It goes without saying that the Spaniard is currently playing a crucial role at Watford and finally showing his true colours.
The heart of the matter
Deulofeu was one of the talents who was dubbed as the 'new Lionel Messi' during his time spent at La Masia and Barcelona and the Watford star admitted that the tag made his life difficult.
Speaking in an interview, former Barcelona player said:
"I found out that being called the new Messi when I was young wasn’t the best thing. It makes life difficult trying to live up to impossible expectations. It made trying to grow as a player really hard."
“I did learn a lot, especially when, at the age of 16, I was told to train with the Barca first team. What was obvious was that they could handle the pressure – I couldn’t.”
"You could say my career has been a bit irregular. One thing is certain – I will never go back to Barcelona. You need to find calm and I have it at Watford."
What's next?
Watford will take on West Ham in their final league fixture.
