5 players who were dubbed the next Messi - where are they now?

Juan Iturbe was dubbed the Paraguayan MessiEver since Lionel Messi became a worldwide football sensation over the past decade, Messi has captured the hearts and imagination of fans and players of all ages who have tried to emulate the Argentine forward. Of course, nobody has come even close to displaying the skills of the Barcelona talisman in practice, let alone on a football pitch.But a select few showed a lot of promise at a very young age, good enough to be dubbed the ‘next Messi’ or something along those lines. We look at five such players who had the potential to truly be considered Messi’s heir.

#1 Lorenzo Insigne

Napoli’s Lorenzo Insigne – The Italian Messi

The 24-year-old Napoli winger looked all set to be sidelined this season after a knee injury threatened to sideline him at the start of the season. But he has since shaken it off and surprised the league with some fantastic performances that has helped Napoli top the table.

A Naples boy through and through, Insigne has risen through the ranks of Napoli’s youth setup before his breakthrough year in 2012/13. He had scored 5 goals and 7 assists that season – phenomenal numbers for a 21-year-old in Serie A.

Insigne is a lot like Messi. He is also short (only 5’4”) and the low centre of gravity makes him a nightmare to defend against. He is a creative attacking player with an eye for goal, has pace and is useful on set-pieces. No wonder then that his former club teammate Goran Pandev nicknamed him the Italian Messi.

This season, Insigne has raised his level a couple of notches and has 10 goals and 10 assists in the league – no other player in Europe has reached double digits for goals and assists! In his last five matches, he has 3 goals and 5 assists.

10 - Lorenzo Insigne is the 1st player to reach the double figure for both goals and assists this season in the top-5 Euro leagues. Golden.

— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) February 3, 2016

#2 Juan Manuel Iturbe

Juan Iturbe (C) – The Paraguayan Messi

Juan Iturbe is just about as tall as Messi and he, too, possesses a low centre of gravity that allows him to evade defenders with his dribbling skills. No surprise then that he is one of the few players who is constantly fouled as he is also a quick runner with the ball. He also has a decent left foot on him for set pieces.

Although he was born in Buenos Aires, he grew up in Paraguay and played for a host of clubs in his youth career. It is the main reason he was nicknamed the Paraguayan Messi. Despite playing for Paraguay in a friendly as a teenager, he decided to represent Argentina after falling out with the association members. Even Diego Maradona had allowed him to train with the Argentine squad in 2010 prior to the World Cup.

It wasn’t until he turned 18 that he moved to Europe and joined Porto. However, it was a loan spell at Hellas Verona that saw him come into the limelight and he eventually earned a big-money move to AS Roma that allegedly cost the club €31m in total. But his stint at the capital club was deemed a failure after scoring just 3 goals last season.

Now, he has earned himself a loan move to Bournemouth in the winter transfer window and the Cherries could make the move permanent for around £11m if they like what they see.

Will he fulfill his potential in the Premier League?

#3 Maxi Romero

Maxi Romero – The New Messi

Maxi Romero is a 17-year-old striker who plays at Argentine club Velez Sarsfield. Based on his performances for the club as a teenager, he has already been dubbed the new Messi.

Reports suggested that Arsenal had signed the promising youngster but would take him to north London only after he turned 18, waiting for him to develop fully at the club before the big move to Europe that would cost the club between £2m to £4.5m.

However, there were also problems with the player’s ownership rights – a common issue in South America. Last year, Romero had also injured his ligament last year which may have hampered his development.

The teenager had impressed scouts with his dribbling and also his composure when finding the target and, if things go according to plan, he could find himself on the next plane across the Atlantic.

#4 Alan Dzagoev

Alan Dzagoev – The Russian Messi

Those who watched Euro 2012 will remember how 21-year-old Alan Dzagoev lit up the group stages with his performances for Russia. The attacking midfielder finished as joint top goal scorer with 3 goals in spite of not qualifying for the knockout stages.

Dzagoev has been at CSKA Moscow since he was a 17-year-old. The 2008 season was his first and it was a memorable one as he walked away with the Best Young Player of the Year award with 13 goals and 10 assists! Although a good three inches taller than Messi,

It wouldn’t be long before top European clubs came calling but Dzagoev rejected offers to stay in Russia, promising to stay for as long as possible. That very same season, Real Madrid were in for him but the Russian would only move abroad if Chelsea came calling, saying he had been a fan of the Premier League club for four years.

Of late, he has fallen off the radar in the Russian Premier League but he is still only 25 years old. Newcastle tried to sign him in January to help them save their season and avoid relegation but that move did not materialise.

A player who excels in his finishing and passing, Dzagoev still has quite a few good years in him. But he can only move to the next level if he leaves Russia and plays at a top European club.

#5 Mohamed Salah

Mohamed Salah – The Egyptian Messi

After becoming a hit in his first stint in Europe at FC Basel, he made headlines when he scored for the Swiss club in two Champions League wins over Chelsea in the group stage. The Blues were obviously impressed and immediately signed him for £11m in the January transfer window after Basel failed to qualify for the knockout stages.

Salah impressed for the London club in his debut season but struggled to get a regular place in the starting lineup. Game time came hard to come by the following season and he was eventually loaned to Serie A club Fiorentina where he found his goalscoring touch again.

With Willian and Eden Hazard firmly keeping a hold of their positions in the starting lineup, Salah was allowed to leave Chelsea even though he had a fan in Jose Mourinho because of his attitude and work-rate. He subsequently signed for Roma, initially on loan before the Italian club made it a permanent deal after they liked what they saw. He has already scored 7 goals so far this season – one of his best returns at this stage of a campaign.

At 5’9”, his blinding pace and dribbling skills are tough to match. He is always involved in layoffs and loves to cut inside from the flank. Although he is usually deployed as a right winger in spite of his weak crossing ability, he has played behind the striker on occasion.

He is yet to hit the heights he did with La Viola last season, but he is still only 23. He has a long way to go yet.