By being one of the greatest players to ever grace a soccer field you’re going to be put on a pedestal where others dream to reach.
Lionel Messi is that man in the current soccer world and his legacy is likely to spread through many generations.
Despite now being 37 his performances are still at the highest level and Messi’s 2024 MLS MVP win highlighted this.
Messi is held in such a regard that players compare his compliments to ‘winning a trophy’.
While Messi is adored by fans and players alike being compared to the star is always going to put pressure on players, and former Barcelona teammate David Villa is not a fan of it.
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Villa speaks out on ‘annoying’ Messi comparisons
Many players look up to Messi for what he has done in his record-breaking career, and rightly so, but very few ever live up to the hype of being the next Messi.
Messi was recently called the ‘greatest’ by Cole Palmer. The Chelsea star has himself been compared to the Argentinian magician by English soccer legend Gary Lineker.
The latest star to be compared to Messi is Barcelona’s young star Lamie Yamal. While Yamal is a big fan of Messi his idol is one of the World Cup winner’s former teammates, Neymar.
Inter Miami narrowly missed out on signing Neymar who could have teamed up with numerous former Barcelona friends.
Another former teammate of Messi, David Villa, has spoken about how he finds it ‘annoying’ to compare players to Messi.
Speaking to AS, he said: “I think comparing any player with Messi is annoying these days. Lamine Yamal is already a world-class player. And the fans clearly have the right to be excited about him, but I don’t think it’s necessary to compare him with Messi because he’s going to have a very good career.”
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Missing out on Neymar could impact Messi’s future
Despite Neymar’s clear indication that he would like to link up with Messi and Luis Suarez, a deal could not be agreed.
With Lionel Messi still not signing a new contract, a Neymar addition could have helped complete any deal.
Missing out on the star is unlikely to make a major impact on the future of Messi, but certainly keeping your star player happy is advisable.
Regardless of his future beyond 2025, Messi will be a huge part of any success Javier Mascherano could have in his first season in the MLS.
Inter Miami face a tough New York City FC in their opening game of the season.