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Former Croatian attacker Davor Suker claimed in 2014 that Alen Halilovic could match Lionel Messi's stature at Barcelona. Halilovic joined Barcelona in the summer of 2014 from the Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb for a reported fee of €2.2 million.
He started under Barcelona B and made his debut for the senior team in 2015. However, he only played one game for the first team of La Blaugrana before he was loaned to Sporting Gijon in August 2015. In July 2016, Barcelona sold the Croatian midfielder to Hamburger SV.
However, Davor Suker had bigger dreams about Halilovic's success in Catalonia. When Alen Halilovic agreed to join the La Liga giants in March 2014, the Croatian legend said (via Telegrafi):
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"Halilovic is a star. He reminds me of Messi. He is young, but we have faith in him and he holds the ball very well."
After his exit from Barcelona, Halilovic also played for AC Milan, Las Palmas, Birmingham City and more. He currently plays for Eredivisie side Fortuna Sittard, which he joined in July 2023.
Former River Plate star dubs Franco Mastantuono as the next Lionel Messi
Former River Plate star Matias Almeyda has dubbed Chelsea and Real Madrid target Franco Mastantuono as the next Lionel Messi. The 17-year-old is one of the top prospects in football, and multiple top European clubs are keen to sign him.
Mastantuono made his senior debut for River Plate last year, and since then, he has made 55 appearances for the Argentine side across all competitions, bagging seven goals and five assists. The 17-year-old has also displayed his versatility by excelling as a right winger despite naturally being an attacking midfielder.
Lauding the teenager, former River Plate star Matias Almeyda claimed that Mastantuono will become the next big Argentine star in football after Lionel Messi. Almedya stated that Mastantuono can echo Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona's greatness in the coming years. He told Argentine radio station DSports (via MEN):
"Another Maradona or another Messi will unlikely emerge, but another player will come. After Maradona, people said that there would never be another like him, and then Messi appeared, and I think that after Messi, another one will appear, and his name is Franco Mastantuono."
He added:
"There are many kids who won't be equal to those two, but they will be at another level. We're breeding ground for very good players."
The 17-year-old's contract with River Plate will expire in the summer of 2027. He also has a release clause of €45 million. Chelsea and Real Madrid have been interested in signing Mastantuno for a long time. However, apart from Chelsea and Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Manchester United and Manchester City are also said to be interested in Mastantuono.
