[ad_1]
Manchester Metropolis are closing in on a deal for 17-year-old wonderkid Dario Sarmiento based on stories.
The four-time Premier League champions wish to the longer term and clearly see one thing particular in Sarmiento.
In response to revered journalist and South American soccer knowledgeable Tim Vickery, a deal is nearly achieved and membership president Juan Sebastian Veron is said to be drooling over the reported £17m Estudiantes are set to obtain for his signature.
When requested by talkSPORT concerning the participant Metropolis are set to welcome to the Etihad Stadium, Vickery reasonably reluctantly conceded that there are shades of Lionel Messi concerning the teen.
“It’s a horrible factor to say about anybody, however there’s a mini Messi in him – that’s why Metropolis have been following him.”
That Vickery urged the comparability is “horrible” derives from the load of the praise: apart from Ronaldo, no participant in soccer can actually examine to the extraterrestrial Argentine.
However regardless of the aforementioned caveat, it is the kind of praise that will get attributed to promising kids regularly.
With Metropolis near welcoming a participant who has been talked about in the identical breath as Messi, GIVEMESPORT have taken the apt alternative to seek out out what occurred to a number of the gamers who’ve been in comparison with arguably the very best footballer to ever grace the turf.
Check out our 15-man listing under…
1. Marcus Edwards
As a pure left-footer with a diminutive body and low centre of gravity, Marcus Edwards was in comparison with Messi by Mauricio Pochettino again in September 2016, per Sky Sports.
“The qualities – it is solely seems, his physique and the best way that he performs – keep in mind somewhat bit from the start of Messi.”
The comparability got here to dominate his time at Spurs however he by no means broke into the senior aspect.
Now 22, Edwards plys his commerce for Vitoria Guimaraes in Portugal and has two targets and two assists in 12 Liga Nos outings this season.
2. Patrick Roberts
Manchester Metropolis reportedly beat Paris Saint-Germain within the race for Patrick Roberts’ signature again in 2015 as they agreed an £8m switch with Fulham.
Roberts earned comparisons with Messi throughout his youth profession with the Cottagers, however the 23-year-old has struggled to reside as much as the hype surrounding his improvement.
A return of 18 goals and 26 assists throughout an 18-month mortgage spell with Celtic made him a fan favorite at Paradise, however stints with Girona and Norwich Metropolis fell flat earlier than his most up-to-date transfer to Middlesbrough.
It has been the same story on the Riverside Stadium, although, with Roberts taking part in simply 256 minutes of Championship soccer thus far this season.
3. Marko Marin
As soon as dubbed the “German Messi”, a lot was anticipated of Marko Marin when he moved to Chelsea in 2012.
His nomadic profession took him to Italy, Belgium, Turkey, Greece, Serbia and now Saudi Arabia, the place he presently performs for Al-Ahli Jeddah.
4. Ryan Gauld
Scotland’s reply to Messi was the discuss of a nation when he emerged at Dundee United and earned a transfer to Sporting Lisbon aged 18.
It regarded for a very long time as if Gauld would fade into insignificance, however he has discovered his toes in Portugal and is prospering at 25 years of age.
Now contracted to FC Farense, Gauld has scored four goals and supplied 4 assists in 12 Liga Nos video games this season.
5. Mohamed Salah
Mo Salah is the participant on the listing who’s come closest to vindicating the lofty early profession comparisons.
His departure from Chelsea led some to imagine that he would by no means blossom right into a particular participant, however these doubters have been confirmed unsuitable in probably the most emphatic vogue.
Salah has performed a talismanic function in serving to Liverpool to win the Champions League and Premier League titles lately, spearheading the membership’s improvement in a way that bears similarity to a few of Messi’s achievements at Barcelona.
6. Takefusa Kubo
Actual Madrid signed Takefusa Kubo, dubbed the Japanese Messi, from FC Tokyo in 2019.
In regard to the Messi comparisons, Kubo had this to say: “It is one thing to be very happy with and I really feel honoured however I am not at that degree but. I need to deal with enhancing the abilities I’ve now.”
At 19 years previous time is on his aspect to justify the excitement in his house nation, however he has did not make an impression throughout his season-long mortgage at Getafe within the 2020/21 marketing campaign.
7. Martin Odegaard
One other wonderkid snapped up by Los Blancos has been on the scene for fairly a while.
Signed by the Spanish giants in January 2015 at simply 16 years of age, Martin Odegaard had the bodily body, technical high quality and pure left-foot to attract parallels with Messi.
The multi file breaker is the youngest player to ever function for Actual Madrid having come on instead aged 16 years and 157 days previous.
There was loads of buzz round how the Norway worldwide would develop, and his return of seven targets and 9 assists on mortgage at Actual Sociedad in 2019/20 the watershed season in his profession.
Now again on the Santiago Bernabeu, although, he finds himself on the periphery of the first-team by advantage of a mix of damage issues and Zinedine Zidane’s choice coverage.
8. Sardar Azmoun
The Iranian Messi boasts a prolific file for membership and nation.
With 31 targets in 48 appearances at worldwide degree he’s the fifth highest aim scorer in his nation’s historical past, although it is pertinent to notice that his strike fee is considerably superior to the 4 gamers who’ve outscored him.
At membership degree he is in potent kind for Zenit St. Petersburg, notching 11 targets in 15 league outings this season.
9. Bojan Krkic
Anybody who performed an instalment of the Soccer Supervisor franchise throughout Bojan’s teenage years could have had excessive hopes for his future.
Bojan’s slight body and dribbling fashion earned him the ill-fated Messi comparability, however he is now a free agent at 30 years previous following an detached profession that has seen him embark on spells with Stoke Metropolis, Ajax and Montreal Influence most just lately.
10. Ryo Miyaichi
As soon as upon a time, lengthy earlier than his compatriot Kubo emerged, Ryo Miyaichi was presupposed to be Japan’s Messi-esque star.
He moved to Arsenal as an 18-year-old in 2011 however did not settle in England earlier than becoming a member of German outfit St. Pauli – whose left-wing cultural and political values have helped them to draw a world cult following – in 2015.
Miyaichi stays with the Bundesliga 2 outfit greater than 5 years later.
11. Moses Simon
Not solely did Moses Simon earn comparisons with Messi, he additionally managed to be labelled the Nigerian Ronaldo.
No stress, Moses.
The 25-year-old hasn’t fully buckled beneath the load of the expectation and presently plys his commerce with Nantes in Ligue 1.
Simon was chosen within the French outfit’s team of the decade in 2020 having solely been on the membership for eighteen months.
12. Alen Halilovic
Alen Halilovic made headlines within the British press in November 2020 by agreeing phrases with Birmingham Metropolis having been launched by AC Milan earlier within the yr.
He was as soon as dubbed the Croatian Messi and the subsequent Luka Modric and signed for Barcelona in 2014.
The 24-year-old, nevertheless, is now struggling to interrupt into the staff at St Andrew’s, taking part in simply 103 minutes of Championship soccer since transferring to the Midlands.
13. Gerard Deulofeu
Gerard Deulofeu is one among few gamers to overtly rue the Messi comparability.
Whereas talking to Forza Milan (by way of Each day Mirror), the enchanting dribbler bemoaned the rise in expectation amongst the Barcelona trustworthy that the myopic evaluation evoked.
“Ultimately, [the comparisons] have been extra detrimental than helpful.
“Usually I don’t learn newspapers, however that headline I keep in mind nicely. It created an excessive amount of expectation amongst Barcelona followers. There’s just one Messi.”
The Spaniard loved stable stints within the Premier League with Everton and Watford and now performs for Udinese in Serie A, the place he has struggled to make a notable impression this season.
14. Stanley Okoro
When he was breaking via as a teen, Stanley Okoro spoke out concerning the lofty comparisons being made about him.
“I don’t thoughts when individuals name me Little Messi.
“It’s a pleasing factor to be in contrast with the very best footballer on this planet; I don’t have an issue with that.”
The Messi narrative was nicely broad of the mark and Okoro has spent the final 4 years again in his native Nigeria taking part in for Abia Warriors.
15. Christian Atsu
Christian Atsu was one of many BBC‘s ones to observe forward of the 2014 World Cup, and that was hardly stunning with a nickname like “the African Messi”.
That the 29-year-old is firmly on the fringes of the first-team squad at Newcastle United, a aspect extensively criticised for his or her toothless attacking endeavours beneath Steve Bruce, speaks volumes about how his profession has panned out.
[ad_2]
Source link
