What happened to the Argentine who was tipped to 'turn out better than Lionel Messi'

It was a comment that followed Mauro Zarate for the rest of his career. "He will turn out better than Lionel Messi," said Lazio president Claudio Lotito, just days before his transfer to the Italian club was made official.

Zarate, who had just completed a six-month loan at then-Premier League side Birmingham City, was accustomed to the demands of being a star in his home country, but this was another level of expectation.

To understand the enormity of Lotito's statement, you need to go back in time.

After helping Argentina win the under-20 World Cup in 2007 following an impressive campaign with boyhood club Velez Sarsfield, many expected the striker to follow in the footsteps of teammate Sergio Aguero by making a big move to Europe.

But to the surprise of many, Zarate joined Al Sadd for around £13 million. He picked up a lucrative contract at the Doha-based side but after so much fanfare, he made just six appearances before signing for Birmingham on loan.

Zarate ended up scoring four goals in 14 appearances under Alex McLeish, a run of form that captured the attention of Newcastle and Tottenham in 2008.

Zarate impressed under Alex McLeish at Birmingham City. Image credit: Getty

In fact, many clubs were said to be chasing the striker's signature that summer but after weeks of speculation, Lazio and the previously mentioned Claudio Lotito won the race to sign him on another loan deal.

Looking back, the Messi comparisons were needlessly over the top. However, the Argentine scored 13 goals in 36 appearances during his debut season at Lazio, a run of form that earned him a permanent move to the Biancocelesti worth £17 million.

Unfortunately for Zarate, he failed to replicate those numbers in the remaining years of his sporadic career.

After struggling in his second season at Lazio, with disciplinary issues being an issue, he spent the 2011-2012 season on loan at fellow Serie A side Inter Milan but again, he struggled before returning to Velez Sarsfield on a permanent deal in 2013.

The West Ham years (and the forgettable loan spell at QPR)

Zarate played for four different Premier League clubs during his 19-year career, including West Ham, who handed the Argentine a two-year contract in 2014.

As was often the case, the striker scored on his debut – a superb 20-yard volley against Crystal Palace – but proceeded to struggle with consistency. He ended up scoring a handful of goals before being shipped to QPR in January 2015.

A year later, he joined Fiorentina in a deal worth a reported £1.6 million.

"West Ham was a mistake and I didn't think it through," Zarate admitted shortly after leaving the Hammers. "The Premier League is fun and obviously the wages are very different, so that swayed my decision at the time."

Zarate celebrates after scoring on his West Ham debut. Image credit: Getty

Despite playing down his time in England, he joined Premier League side Watford in January 2017 after struggling at Fiorentina.

Again, he failed to hit the ground running and just weeks into the spell, he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in a 1-1 draw against former club West Ham, which ruled him out for the rest of the season.

Loan spells at Al Nasr and Velez Sarsfield followed before Boca Juniors decided to take a punt on Zarate.

He lifted two league titles across three a three-year spell at La Bombonera before leaving in May 2021 because of a lack of game time, something that had become a recurring theme.

In the remaining years of his career, Zarate played for Brazilian teams America Mineiro and Juventude, as well as Atletico Platense and Italian side Cosenza. The forward retired in 2023 following a brief spell at Uruguay-based outfit Danubio.

Zarate has since represented West Ham at The Soccer Tournament (TST), a 7-vs-7 tournament that was hosted in the US. He featured in a team alongside former teammate Ricardo Vaz Te.