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#3 Marko Marin
Marko Marin was likened with Lionel Messi for the similarities in the two players' playing styles. In fact, he was also likened with his compatriot Mesut Ozil.
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In over 460 career appearances, he has managed a decent haul of 68 goals and 116 assists. But as things turned out, Marin has largely failed to emulate the exploits of either player for club and country.
Now at Ferencvaros in Hungary, the 32-year-old will look for a better campaign as he winds down his career.
#2 Juan Iturbe
Juan Iturbe is another player who was compared with Lionel Messi. But the winger has largely failed to live up to those lofty heights.
The Paraguayan international has turned up for a plethora of clubs across countries. But his return of 32 goals and 25 assists in almost 300 career games across age groups doesn't come close to that of Messi's.
The 28-year-old is now at Greek Super League 1 club Aris Thessaloniki, whom he joined only this summer.
#1 Bojan Krkic
Bojan Krkic was not just compared with Lionel Messi; he was touted to be better than the Argentinean.
Just as Messi began to break out in the 2006-07 season, Krkic was obliterating all kinds of records while at Barcelona's La Masia academy. The then 17-year-old was soon drafted into the Blaugrana first team, becoming the youngest Barcelona player to make his La Liga debut.
Considering his prolific exploits in youth football, Krkic was expected to emulate Messi's records. He certainly made a great start, scoring 12 goals across competitions in 2007-08. However, Krkic's returns diminished, and the 2008-09 treble winner was shipped off to AS Roma.
More than a decade later, the 31-year-old, hailed as the next Lionel Messi, has bounced around various clubs, but could not really settle at one. Now at Japan's Vissel Kobe, Krkic remains a classic case of what might have been.
