They were all compared to Lionel Messi… but they weren’t even close

Some names are well known in Portuguese football. Now look.

Lionel Messi, like Cristiano Ronaldo, marked a generation of football. The Argentine is part of a group of players that infects and inspires crowds of young people to pursue a career in football. However, not everyone who is seen as a future ‘Messis’ ends up getting close to the top.

The list we bring has several names that, at an early stage in their career, were immediately labeled as stars and, in the end, did not reach Messi’s level. There are names that are well known in Portuguese football.