5 players who can replace Lionel Messi at Barcelona

Lionel messi ballon d'or
Irreplaceable

Lionel Messi has been an absolute phenomenon and is undoubtedly one of the greatest footballers of all time. While it is impossible to replace this once in a lifetime footballer for any team, Barcelona will have to eventually do it.

Luckily, their own academy, La Masia, is renowned for producing supreme young talent and while the Catalan giants have some young gems coming through the academy, they might also look outside their own club to replace the Argentine maestro.

Also read: Lionel Messi's 2005 Youth World Cup winning Argentina Squad: Where are they now?

Barcelona midfield legend Xavi underlined Messi’s importance to the squad when he said:

“When Messi ends his career, there will be Neymar, Eden Hazard and five or 10 players at a similar level, but none with the unquestionable superiority of Messi.”

Keeping this in mind, let us take a look at 5 potential heirs for Lionel Messi’s crown at Barcelona.

#5 Carles Alena

Carles Alena

A gem in the La Masia stables, Carles Alena is touted by many to become the next big homegrown star at Barcelona. Since joining Barcelona as an 8-year-old, 19-year-old Carles Alena has captained all the youth teams including the Juvenil A squad and is an important member of the Barcelona B squad.

An attacking midfielder, Alena is capable of playing in the number 8 role, number 10 role and even on the wings. Having a playing style which looks like an amalgamation of both Messi and Iniesta, the young Spaniard has a knack of scoring spectacular goals and is definitely earmarked for great things by the Barcelona hierarchy.

Also read: 3 best academy players to watch out for from top clubs across Europe

Another huge positive for Alena is that he is naturally left-footed. The young Spaniard always seems to find space in the midfield and is rarely hurried. However, his finishing skills still leave a lot to be desired and only time will tell if he is good enough to be Barcelona’s next superstar.

For now, let us enjoy Alena’s skills and immense potential:

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#4 Ousmane Dembele

Ousmane Dembele

19-year-old Ousmane Dembele has been turning heads with his wonderful performances for Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga this season. The teenaged French international was wanted by all the top clubs across Europe but the German giants managed something of a coup when they convinced Dembele to sign for them.

Blessed with electric pace, amazing close control and supreme dribbling skills, Dembele has arguably become BVB’s most important player and is already touted by many to become a future Ballon d’Or winner.

Also read: Grading the transfers: Borussia Dortmund

Dembele has already spoken off his desire to play for Barcelona in the future. According to reports in Mundo Deportivo, when Barcelona technical secretary Robert Fernandez approached Dembele in 2016, the young Frenchman said:

“Not now, because I want to grow and be a protagonist every Sunday. But one day I will play for Barcelona."

Dembele could prove to be the ideal replacement for Lionel Messi. The below video shows some of Dembele’s insane skills and tricks:

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#3 Paulo Dybala

dybala juventus

Argentine. Check. Left footed. Check. Scores bucket load of goals. Check. Sound familiar?

Paulo Dybala is already a superstar in his own right at Juventus and it looks like just a matter of time before he establishes himself as one of the best players in the world and makes a move to either Real Madrid or Barcelona.

A quick, creative and agile player blessed with excellent technical ability, Dybala has time and again shown that he is more than capable of mixing it with the big boys. The Argentine has impressed so much that even Bayern Munich manager Carlo Ancelotti has tipped Dybala for great things:

“Dybala can make history at Juventus over the next 10 years, he is unique, you cannot compare him to any other player.”

Also read: Paulo Dybala reveals that Juventus rejected an offer for him in the summer

Lionel Messi himself had praised Dyabla in an earlier interview with Tuttosport:

"Paulo is a great player and he has a bright future ahead of him, I have no doubt about it that people will talk about him a lot over the next few years."

With both Barcelona and Real Madrid rumoured to be interested in singing the Argentine superstar, Dybala could well be playing for Barcelona in the future.

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#2 Lee Seung Woo

Lee Seung Woo

Considered to be Barcelona’s most talented youngster (Yes even more talented than Carles Alena), Lee Seung Woo has been wowing people at La Masia with his skill, pace and finishing skills.

Capable of playing as a forward or an attacking midfielder, Lee Seung Woo first caught Barcelona’s attention at the age of 10 when he finished as the top scorer in 2010 Danone nations cup (one of football’s most prestigious youth tournaments).

Barcelona were so desperate to sign this Korean wonder kid that they even faced a transfer ban for signing him against FIFA youth eligibility rules. However, many people at the club believe that the transfer ban was worth it.

Also read: Who is Barcelona's wonderkid Lee Seung-woo?

Lee Seung Woo’s skills, tricks and goalscoring ability have absolutely astounded people and many people within the club have no doubt that the talented youngster is destined for great things.

The quote which you most often associate with Lee Seung Woo is: “he scores like Messi, celebrates like Ronaldo”. In 10 years, he might have well taken over Messi’s mantle as Barcelona’s standout superstar.

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Didn’t watch the whole video? I recommend you do. Lee Seung Woo's skills and goals will absolutely blow your mind.

#1 Neymar

neymar and messi barcelona

Just 24 and already one of the world’s best players, Neymar has been wowing football fans and pundits with his mesmerising skills, dribbles and beautiful goals for Barcelona. Considered to be Messi’s long-term heir at Barcelona, Neymar along with Messi and Suarez has formed a devastating attacking partnership plundering and setting up plenty of goals.

The Brazilian is definitely a future Ballon d’Or winner and many legends of the game have tipped him to become one of the greatest footballers of all time. Barcelona legend Rivaldo even went as far as to say that Neymar is Messi’s natural successor:

Also read: Most valuable XI in the world

“He’s a great player and for sure he will be the best in the world. When Barca signed him I said he was a great player and that he could end up being one of the best in the world, and I think little by little he’s actually doing that,” Rivaldo told Barca TV.

“Today, he has Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in front of him, but Neymar is doing a good job and soon he will be the best player.”

Neymar is the most suited candidate to replicate Messi’s stupendous impact at Barcelona.

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Edited by Staff Editor