Lionel Messi Related to Premier League Cult Hero As Family Tree Revealed
It has been confirmed that Lionel Messi is related to a Premier League cult hero, just days after the Barcelona legend made a surprise appearance at the Spotify Camp Nou.
Messi spent 17 years in Barcelona's first-team, scoring an astonishing 672 goals in 778 appearances.
He left Spain as a free agent following the expiration of his contract and spent two years at PSG, before joining his current club, Inter Miami.
After scoring twice to send Inter Miami into the next round of the MLS playoffs, Messi recently returned to Spain for the first time since the stadium's redevelopment.
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In a post on Instagram, he wrote: "Last night, I returned to a place that I miss with all my heart.
"It's a place where I was immensely happy, where you made me feel like the happiest person in the world a thousand times over.
"I hope that one day I can return, and not just to say goodbye as a player, as I never got to do..."
According to Spanish newspaper Segre, one player Messi used to play alongside at Barcelona is related to the Argentine icon.
They report that Messi and Bojan Krkic, who went on to spend five years at Stoke City, are fourth cousins.
That is because the former teammates share the same great-great-great-grandparents.
Messi and Bojan played together at Barcelona between 2007 and 2011.
After making his first-team debut aged just 17 years and 19 days in 2007, Bojan was even dubbed 'the next Messi'.
However, he struggled to live up to those expectations, and after several loan spells, he joined Stoke City in 2014.
The Spaniard went on to score 14 goals in 53 appearances for the Potters, and has spoken warmly about the way Stoke fans treated him.
Which other footballer are related?
There have been several famous footballing families over the years.
Brothers Gary and Phil Neville spent many successful seasons together at Manchester United, while Jack and Bobby Charlton also enjoyed outstanding careers.
Erling Haaland has already eclipsed many of his father Alfie's achievements in the game, but both Kasper and Peter Schmeichel have tasted Premier League success as goalkeepers.
More recently, it was revealed by The Sun that Manchester United full-back Diogo Dalot and head coach Ruben Amorim are distantly related.
The Portuguese ancestry website Geneall claims they are great-great-grandsons of Carlos Dallot, a circus artist from the 19th century.
Manchester United sources have since confirmed the distant family connection between the defender and the coach.
Topics: Lionel Messi, Stoke City, Premier League, MLS, FC Barcelona
James Taylor