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Lionel Messi is arguably the best football player ever and holds the record of winning the joint most Ballon d'Or awards (five), alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Argentine played 649 games for Barca, scoring 564 times. He won nine La Liga titles, four Champions League titles and six Copa del Rey trophies with the club.
However, he is a 31-year-old now and cannot play forever. Barcelona need to prepare for their life after the superstar leaves by signing a long-term replacement for him.
Right on this note, here is a list of three players who can potentially replace Lionel Messi at Barcelona.
#1 Kylian Mbappe
It is hard to believe that Kylian Mbappe is just 19 years of age as the French international achieved great heights at this young age and is considered to be one of the biggest talents in football.
The 'Golden Boy' of 2017, Kylian Mbappe made his debut in 2015 at the tender age of 16 but, got his breakthrough in the 2016-2017 season. He was one of Monaco's star players during that season as they clinched the Ligue 1 title right under the noses of PSG.
AS Monaco also reached the semi-finals of the Champions League in the 2016-2017 season and Mbappe played a vital role in the team, scoring six goals in their European campaign. He finished the 2016-2017 season with 26 goals in all competitions.
His impressive performances at AS Monaco impressed PSG and they initially signed him on-loan (with a deal in place to sign him permanently in 2018) in the summer of 2017. He was the part of FIFPro World XI: 2018 and scored 13 goals and assisted further seven during the 2017-2018 season.
He started brilliantly this season as well and bagged nine goals and assisted further three in the opening six games.
#2 Paulo Dybala
There has to be something special about the one who is said to replace Lionel Messi in his national side. Also known as "La Joya" (The Jewel), Paulo Dybala is regarded as the future of Argentine football and considered a long-term replacement for the legendary Lionel Messi.
The 24-year-old was Juventus' star player last season and scored 26 goals in all competitions for the Old Lady. However, the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo this summer took the limelight away from the attacker and his performances were affected by that.
Known for his pace, technique and finishing skills, he joined Juventus from Palermo in 2015. The striker is doing a great job for the La Vecchia Signora (The Old Lady) since then. He scored 53 goals for the club in 106 league games and was a part of the Serie A Team of the Year for the last two seasons.
All stats via transfermarket.com
#3 Leroy Sane
Leroy Sane is one of the most exciting young wingers in the world right now and is a revelation since joining Manchester City in 2016.
The 22-year old played 97 times for the citizens, scoring 25 goals. He was one of the star players during Manchester City's record-breaking 2017-2018 and contributed 10 goals and 15 assists to his team's success. His performances also earned him the FIFPro Young Player of the Year accolade 2017-2018.
Nevertheless, the German winger started this season slowly and didn't get a place in the starting line-up during the opening few games of the season. However, he regained his position back in the team and started in three of Manchester City's last four games in all competitions.
At 22, Leroy Sane has the best years of his career in front of him and Barcelona needs to pay over the odds to lure the talented German to Camp Nou.
All stats via transfermarket.com
