'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAIAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAwT/2gAIAQEAAAAAa7//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAE/9oACAECEAAAAB//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAE/9oACAEDEAAAAE//xAAgEAABBAIBBQAAAAAAAAAAAAACAQMEBQASERMhMoLB/9oACAEBAAE/ALmutITbyy7YJEA4xuv7PEjhOi8PRMC142Xx9u+RoVQEdoRu4KIIIiIsJ/4vGf/EABgRAAIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACARMh/9oACAECAQE/AL2fZP/EABcRAQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEDABH/2gAIAQMBAT8AipLpv//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Yes, Messi could possibly be the greatest player in today’s game but he is not mortal, or at least we would like to think that way. The search for the next greatest player or the next Messi has hit the globe since the legendary Argentinean dazzled us in his first season at Barcelona.
However, in the past few days or so, it seems like many of them have been “discovered” all over the world. Google the keyword “next Messi” and you will realize.
The latest being Malaga’s 14-year-old wonder kid Brahim Abdelkader Diaz who was acquired by the financially mighty Manchester City at a mere £2.4 million. Before Brahim came into the picture, we had heard of eight-year-old prodigy by the name of Claudio Nancufil, who was spotted at the Martín Güemes club in Argentina. BBC is actually making a documentary on Claudio.
It’s quite common for clubs to approach or “buy” kids that are in their late teens, but they have manage to squash any bit of moral values that remained in football to seize young kids.
These kids may be class, but comparing them to Messi at this point is a little too farfetched. We had seen so many kids be called the next Pele or Maradona or Messi, but only a few have gone as far as even close to being 20% (just made this up) of that level. Freddy Adu being a very good example; the kid signed a $1 million contract with Nike at the age of thirteen.
The thought for any sane person going through this would be to let them play their football and stop comparing them to arguably the best or second best player in the world. Of course, in the case of Brahim, he will surely benefit from City’s youth set-up as it is actually world class.
And then to top it all, we have less than 2-year-old Bryce Brites who can barely speak, but has gained the status of a professional footballer. He has been signed up by Belgian club FC Racing Boxberg after displaying skills considered extraordinary for his age.
Well, in conclusion, one should rephrase the question from “How many new Messi’s can there be” to “When will it all stop?”
