Three of the top wonderkids Lionel Messi tipped to be superstars are without clubs eight years on
Three players named in Lionel Messi's to the top 10 future wonderkids destined to be superstars are now free agents without clubs.
In 2016, Messi, who is widely considered to be the greatest player of all time, picked out ten wonderkids who he thought would go on to be the best in the sport in the near future.
You would assume that the man with the record for the most Ballon d'Or awards would be a perfect judge of footballing talent, but most of his selections have not gone on to reach the heights that Messi anticipated they would do.
Here is the list of the ten players that Messi selected and where they are now.
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Gabriel Boschilia
Brazilian baller Gabriel Boschilia was tipped for stardom by Messi after he had just signed a five-year contract with AS Monaco.
Between loan spells at Belgium’s Standard Liege and Ligue 1’s FC Nantes, the midfielder bagged himself 26 appearances for Monaco before transferring to Brazilian Série A side, Internacional.
After two seasons the 27-year-old joined Coritiba, but he has been without a club since 2023.
Patrick Roberts
Former England youth international Patrick Roberts was included on Messi’s list as a ‘one-to-watch’.
After making just one appearance for Manchester City in the 2015/16 season, the 26-year-old was shipped out to Celtic for 30 months.
The winger then completed a series of loan spells at clubs such as Girona, Norwich City, and Derby County.
In January 2022, the winger joined Sunderland on an initial six-month deal before joining on a permanent basis later that year.
Nadazdha Karpova
The Argentinian saw something special in Nadazdha Karpova while she was plying her trade at Chertanovo Moscow.
In 2017, she left her native Russia to play for Liga F side Valencia before dropping down to the second tier to join six-time Copa de la Reina champions RCD Espanyol Femeni, helping them to promotion last season.
Chanathip Songkrasin
Known more commonly as Jay, Chanathips Songkrasin was on loan with Muangthong United when he was heralded as a wonderkid.
Following a successful spell with the Thai team, the midfielder went on to play for J1 sides Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo and Kawasaki Frontale before returning to Thailand to sign for BG Pathum United.
At 20, Songkrasin has 66 caps for Thailand, scoring twelve goals.
Kasper Dolberg
Denmark international Kasper Dolberg is arguably the most successful player that Messi tipped for stardom.
Signed to Ajax at the time, the 25-year-old left the Dutch club in 2019 to join Ligue 1 side, Nice.
After completing loan spells at Sevilla and Hoffenheim, Dolberg signed for Belgian giants Anderlecht in 2023.
The Dane was part of Denmark's Euro 2024 squad, but they were eliminated in the round-of-16 by Germany.
Jean-Kevin Augustin
Jean-Kevin Augustin was tipped for stardom while he was playing for Paris Saint-Germain but left a year later for Bundesliga side RB Leipzig.
After a couple of seasons out on loan to AS Monaco and Leeds United, the 26-year-old striker eventually signed for Nantes on a two-year deal.
Unfortunately in the 2021/22 season, Augustin was relegated to play for Nantes B team before leaving for FC Basel on a free transfer.
And it only got worse for the Frenchman as, after weeks of being excluded from team training, his contract with Basel was dissolved by mutual consent and he remains without a club.
Alex Muyl
Messi thought that New York-born Alex Muyl would make it big after breaking into the New York Red Bulls first team.
In August 2020
On August 13, he was traded to Nashville SC in exchange for Nashville’s 2020 and 2021 international picks.
Davide Calabria
26-year-old Italian Davide Calabria has been a firm fixture of AC Milan since he began his youth career there in 2006.
Having been promoted to the senior squad in 2015, the right-back has clocked up 205 Serie A appearances for the club and netted 13 goals in all competitions.
In 2021, he signed a new deal with Rossoneri which will keep him at his childhood club until the summer of 2025.
Despite playing for Italy at under-17 to under-21 level, the defender has only made seven senior appearances for the national squad.
Kekuta Manneh
Messi believed that Kekuta Manneh could make it to the top, but the winger has spent the majority of his career playing for the Vancouver Whitecaps.
According to The Mirror, a plethora of Premier League clubs were once interested in Manneh — but a move never came to fruition for the 28-year-old.
In 2017, the baller left the MLS side to sign for Columbus Crew before joining Mexican club Pachuca and then Swiss team, St. Gallen
Since 2019 he has represented returning FC Cincinnati, New England Revolution, Austin FC, San Antonio FC and Canadian club Pacific FC. He is now a free agent.
Nathan Allan de Souza
Simply known as ‘Nathan’, the midfielder was hailed as a wonderkid by Messi when he was signed for Chelsea.
Another character who has endured a series of loan spells, Nathan has spent time with Dutch side Vitesse, Ligue 2 team Amiens and Portugal’s Belenenses.
In 2020, the Brazilian left Chelsea to sign for Atletico Mineiro, before spending time at Fluminense and then current club Gremio.
Topics: Lionel Messi, Football
Ben McCrum