The next Messi! How often do we hear this? For most of his young career, he was labelled the next Maradona, but he has grown to an unthinkable level that the label is now the Next Messi. It's an unfortunate label, surely, but boy has there been a couple hundred. Add to that the Croatian Messi, Egyptian Messi, etc. and you have a whole crop of youngsters set up to disappoint extraordinarily.
Like it or not, comparisons will always be made about footballers regardless of their style. One of many "next Messi's" to come through Barca's academy, Gerard Deulofeu, has an entirely different playing style. As it unfolded, he became a much more likely next Cristiano Ronaldo, but that's another topic entirely.
Many people think his loaning out is because of the exceptional young talent Munir El-Haddadi, but anyone worth their salt understands they're not entirely related. Munir is more similar in playing style to Messi, although still vastly different. Deulofeu is more of what the Barca team needs, but something unspoken went wrong in the pre-season and he was sent on loan even after being debuted in front of the fans and told he had a first team place.
Many people think his loaning out is because of the exceptional young talent Munir El-Haddadi, but anyone worth their salt understands they're not entirely related. Munir is more similar in playing style to Messi, although still vastly different. Deulofeu is more of what the Barca team needs, but something unspoken went wrong in the pre-season and he was sent on loan even after being debuted in front of the fans and told he had a first team place.
Munir has had quite a meteoric rise. He made his first team debut at the weekend, and marked it with a wonderful goal, but it was not even half a year ago since he scored this gem for the Juvenil A team in the youth Champion's League. Keep in mind Juvenil A is TWO levels below the Barcelona first team, with Munir playing primarily for Barcelona B for the second half of the season.
Impressive, you might say. However many people will be quick to exercise caution. Names such as Bojan (BOJAB), Gai Assulin, and even Fran Merida and Iago Falque should be pointed out as hype being too much for someone. Bojan never recovered from his wrongly disallowed goal against Inter a few years back. A shattered player, he's since moved to 3 different clubs on loan before finally being sold to EPL club Stoke City this summer.
But, for me, the more cautionary tale here is one of patience. Not just patience, which Munir showed when instead of leaving for free last summer when his contract expired, he renewed. He didn't ask for any insertion of a promotion clause, knowing at 18 it might not be entirely likely despite his skill. He, like a few but unlike so many, turned down the advances of several huge european clubs (and a huuuuuge pay bump) to stay at La Masia, where he most likely believes he can make his future. However, last season someone went the exact opposite path.
Impressive, you might say. However many people will be quick to exercise caution. Names such as Bojan (BOJAB), Gai Assulin, and even Fran Merida and Iago Falque should be pointed out as hype being too much for someone. Bojan never recovered from his wrongly disallowed goal against Inter a few years back. A shattered player, he's since moved to 3 different clubs on loan before finally being sold to EPL club Stoke City this summer.
But, for me, the more cautionary tale here is one of patience. Not just patience, which Munir showed when instead of leaving for free last summer when his contract expired, he renewed. He didn't ask for any insertion of a promotion clause, knowing at 18 it might not be entirely likely despite his skill. He, like a few but unlike so many, turned down the advances of several huge european clubs (and a huuuuuge pay bump) to stay at La Masia, where he most likely believes he can make his future. However, last season someone went the exact opposite path.
Tonny Sanabria. Some of you may not even remember him, and it's not likely those who don't follow the youth academy closely even heard of him until he left. After only 10 Barcelona B appearances, and 3 goals, he decided his talents warranted a first team contract. Barcelona (rightly) disagreed. Not wanting to let him go for free 6 months later, Barcelona reached an agreement with AS Roma for 4.5million euros, rising to 12 million. A nice bit of business for a pushy player who wants guaranteed first team time at 17 at a team who had at that point made 6 straight Champion's League semifinals.
How has his career panned out? Well, Roma have too many non-EU nationals (Sanabria is Paraguayan) and had Sassuolo sign him on loan, where he made a grand total of two appearances. With the number 96 for AS Roma this season, I don't expect all that many appearances either. Now Sanabria was a budding star, but was let go for a great sum. Will he fulfill his potential? Who knows, but Barca did good business in not waiting to find out, and getting a decent sum in return.
It's important to exercise caution, especially this goes for the media with the evaluation of youth players. The three examples here have all had different routes thus far.
Deulofeu was the next Messi since he was 11 or so, and has been told he's the best. It may or may not be the reason his attitude is the way it is and he's seen as an extremely cocky and selfish player.
Tonny Sanabria rose through the ranks normally, and had a nice quick burst on the scene with Barca B, though not seen as anything remarkably gifted. Thanks to extreme demands he's someone else's player now.
Munir El-Haddadi has a high ceiling as well, but there's a huge road ahead of him. The positive signs are there, though, and with a contract until 2017, he seems committed to the cause.