Dybala, Deulofeu and the ‘new Messi's’ who failed
Cameron Smith
- Updated: 20 Jul 2022 12:00 BST
- 5 min read
Paulo Dybala left Juventus this summer following the expiration of his contract in Turin, but when he might have once been expected to be picked up by Barcelona, he has instead committed to playing with Roma for the next three years.
Things have never quite panned out as they might have for the Argentine, who boasts a respectable Serie A career - but certainly nothing to like up to the billing he enjoyed in his early years of being the new Lionel Messi.
By signing on at Roma during his peak years, Dybala appears to have missed his chance to make it to the very top. He will go down in history as a fine Serie A performer, but never the world-class star that he threatened to become.
He is not, however, the first player to buckle under the pressure of being anointed Messi's heir.
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Patrick Roberts
Like Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho after him, Patrick Roberts emerged onto the radar of big English clubs after breaking out at Fulham and was snapped up by Manchester City in 2015.
Eight loan spells away from the club followed, with Roberts only making three appearances for the senior team. His miserable spell at Man City ended with a free transfer move to Sunderland in January 2022, at the age of 24.
Bojan Krkic
This 'new Messi' tag sparked due to Bojan's electric burst onto the scene at Barcelona, reminiscent of his former team-mate.
In fact, this comparison was certainly accurate at the time and not an outlandish shout. Bojan broke Messi's record for the youngest player to play and score for the club. He even scored 10 league goals in his first season at Camp Nou.
Trusted by Frank Rijkaard, the same can't be said for Pep Guardiola. But, Bojan still played 23 or more league games in each of his four seasons at Barcelona, despite his young age.
Loan moves to Roma and Ajax signalled the beginning of the end, and Bojan was remarkably sold to Stoke City in 2014. He never really impressed in the Premier League and after loans to Mainz and Alaves, he joined Montreal Impact on a free transfer in 2019.
He joined Vissel Kobe in 2021.
Mauro Zarate
Lazio president Claudio Lotito claimed Mauro Zarate will be "better than Lionel Messi" upon signing the youngster from Argentina, but that statement didn't come true.
Zarate joined the 14th different club of his career in May 2022 upon signing for Argentinian side Platense. Although his spell at Lazio wasn't disastrous, his time in the Premier League at the likes of West Ham, QPR and Watford didn't result in much acclaim.
Ryan Gauld
Dubbed 'the Scottish Messi' after impressing for Dundee United, Ryan Gauld was signed by Sporting CP in Portugal in a high-profile move for the youngster.
However, he never made the grade in the Primeira Liga and four unsuccessful loans soon followed. He was sold to second-tier side Farense before he joined Vancouver Whitecaps in the MLS in 2021.
Gerard Deulofeu
One of the best players on this list, Gerard Deulofeu hasn't had a poor career by any stretch of the imagination, but he didn't quite live up to the hype set in his early years.
The Barcelona links didn't help the comparison with Messi, and Deulofeu fell short of what was expected of him at the club. He joined Everton after two loan spells away from Barcelona before returning to Camp Nou on a permanent deal after a stint at Milan.
After a disappointing return to Barcelona, a respectable Premier League career at Watford followed before he joined Udinese in Serie A.
Alen Halilovic
Another to fall by the wayside at Barcelona, Alen Halilovic joined the Catalan giants from Dinamo Zagreb in his native Croatia but only mustered one appearance for the senior team.
Halilovic had moved clubs, including loan deals, a total of nine times by the age of 25, never able to make it last at a single one.
Ryo Miyaichi
One of the most promising and hyped-up players on this list, Ryo Miyaichi suffered countless injury problems that curtailed his career and left the question 'what could've been' open.
After joining Arsenal, Miyaichi suffered seven injuries at the club, incidentally the same number of games he played for the Gunners. His injury issues didn't stop after then, suffering three ACL injuries at St Pauli following his permanent move to the German club.
He returned to Japan in 2021.
Takefusa Kubo
The Japanese winger came through the ranks at Barcelona, before joining their El Clasico rivals Real Madrid in 2019 after a spell back in his homeland.
Four loan spells and zero Los Blancos appearances have followed and Kubo is still yet to make his mark at the top level.
Christian Atsu
Nicknamed 'the African Messi', Christian Atsu showed glimpses of promise at Chelsea, but, like the rest of the players on this list, wasn't able to translate that into regular minutes.
He travelled on five loan spells away from Stamford Bridge until Newcastle snapped him up in 2017. He left the Magpies for Saudi Arabia in 2021.
Juan Iturbe
The winger made his name at Hellas Verona in Serie A before joining Roma in the same division.
One year before joining Bournemouth on loan, Juan Iturbe had been linked with the likes of Real Madrid, Liverpool and Chelsea but his career plummeted after joining the Cherries.
He played just four times for the club, before subsequently being loaned to Torino and Club Tijuana. The latter signed him permanently in 2018 and he joined Greek side Aris Saloniki in 2021.
