Messi Names the Top 10 Football Talents — Some You Might Not Even Know!
Lionel Messi has named the brightest talents in world football — potential heirs to his throne. This happened during an adidas promotional campaign. As part of the event, the Argentine forward received his new signature boots and chose 10 rising stars to whom he would "pass on" his boots as a symbol of belief in their potential. Interestingly, alongside well-known players, Messi’s list also includes some unknown names — and even a couple of girls. Here’s who the legend picked:
Lamine Yamal, Barcelona
No surprises here. Yamal shares many similarities with Messi himself — a right winger, a La Masia graduate, and a prodigy making an impact from his first appearances for Barcelona. At just 16, Lamine broke multiple records for both Barça and the Spanish national team, becoming their youngest player and goalscorer. Unlike others on the list, Yamal is already a star of the present. In 2024, he finished 8th in the Ballon d'Or voting, largely thanks to winning Euro 2024 with Spain. This season, Yamal boasts 14 goals and 22 assists in 46 games for Barcelona.
Kenan Yildiz, Juventus
Born in Germany but making waves in Turkey and Italy — that’s Kenan Yildiz. The 19-year-old attacking midfielder made a name for himself at Juventus just a year after joining from Bayern Munich as a free agent in 2022. This season, he’s posted 8 goals and 5 assists across 44 matches. After scoring against PSV in the fall, he became Juventus' youngest-ever goalscorer in the Champions League, surpassing Alessandro Del Piero. Yildiz has also already made 19 appearances for Turkey, playing at Euro 2024.
Eliesse Ben Seghir, Monaco
For those who follow Ligue 1 or Monaco because of Aleksandr Golovin, seeing Ben Seghir on Messi’s list won't be a surprise. A huge talent, Monaco will likely sell him for a massive fee one day — unless something unexpected happens in his career. This season, the 20-year-old winger has scored 9 goals and provided 4 assists in 42 matches. Internationally, Ben Seghir chose Morocco over France and debuted for the African side in March 2024, tallying 3 goals and 2 assists in 10 games.
Antonio Nusa, RB Leipzig
The 20-year-old son of a Nigerian father and Norwegian mother is impressing in Germany. Nusa made his debut for Stabæk at 16 and, just a year later, scored for Club Brugge in the Champions League — becoming the second-youngest goalscorer in the competition's history. In 2024, RB Leipzig snapped him up for €21 million. This season, Nusa has 5 goals and 8 assists in 36 matches for Leipzig, and 4 goals and 6 assists in 13 games for Norway.
Assan Ouédraogo, RB Leipzig
After reading this list, you might think Messi watches a lot of RB Leipzig games — two of their players made the cut! Despite his surname, Assan is German, born in Mülheim to a former Burkina Faso international. The 18-year-old box-to-box midfielder is known for his speed and technical skills. Leipzig signed him for €10 million in the offseason. Unfortunately, he played only five matches this season due to two consecutive knee injuries, but Messi still believes in his talent.
Joel Ndala, Nottingham Forest
An unexpected name at first glance. The 18-year-old winger belongs to Manchester City but has been loaned to Nottingham Forest since February, where he plays for their second team. He hasn't debuted in the Premier League yet. Messi might have heard about him from Pep Guardiola or noticed him during the 2023 U17 World Cup, where Ndala scored three goals and two assists in just four games, including against Brazil. Ndala now plays for England's U19 side and is often compared to City's Jeremy Doku.
Claudio Echeverri, Manchester City
Of course, Messi couldn’t leave out an Argentine! Especially someone as talented as Echeverri. At the 2023 U17 World Cup, Claudio scored a hat-trick against Brazil in the quarterfinals, leading Argentina to a 3–0 win. After that, Manchester City bought him from River Plate for €18.5 million, although he stayed on loan at River until the end of 2024. Last season, he recorded 4 goals and 6 assists in 41 games. The 19-year-old has now joined City but has yet to debut under Guardiola — for now, he is training with the team.
Cavan Sullivan, Philadelphia Union
Perhaps Messi’s nod to Sullivan is a tribute to the United States, where he now plays for Inter Miami. Still, the 15-year-old attacking midfielder genuinely looks promising. He already has five MLS appearances — three last season and two this year, earning 5–10 minutes each time. Manchester City is also closely monitoring him. Sullivan comes from a footballing family — his father and mother both played, and his cousin Chris Albright represented the US national team.
The Girls Messi Highlighted:
Jaedyn Shaw, North Carolina Courage
Messi included not only a young American boy but also a young American girl. The 20-year-old Shaw plays as a forward or attacking midfielder for the USWNT, already earning 26 caps and scoring 8 goals. She also won gold at the 2024 Olympics. Her father is African-American, and her mother is Vietnamese, making her the first player of Vietnamese descent to represent the US women’s national team. After three seasons with San Diego, Shaw transferred to North Carolina Courage in 2025 for $450,000 plus bonuses.
Vicky Lopez, Barcelona
Messi didn’t forget about Barcelona’s women’s team either — he singled out rising star Vicky Lopez. Born and raised in Madrid, she moved to Barcelona at 16 in 2022, playing as an attacking midfielder. Lopez has already appeared in 46 matches for Barça, scoring 10 goals, and has won two league titles and two Champions League trophies. In 2024, she won the Golden Girl award as Europe's best young female footballer. Eligible to play for either Spain or Nigeria, Lopez chose Spain and has four senior caps so far.
Published by Patrick Jane
26.04.2025