In 2015, Lionel Messi picked out 10 young players he believed would become world-class stars. But nearly a decade later, have they lived up to expectations?
Messi, an Argentine legend, is considered one of the greatest players in football history, having played for Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami. With eight Ballon d’Ors and more than 750 goals in over 900 club games, he has left an indelible mark.
According to the Daily Mail, the “Backed by Messi” project is a marketing campaign by Adidas, in which Messi personally selected 10 promising young players.
“Each young player was sent a pair of custom-designed Messi 15 boots and became a member of ‘Team Messi’. Initially, the campaign was heavily promoted, but updates on the players’ progress quickly faded away.”
1. Jeremie Boga (OGC Nice)
Boga was once one of Chelsea’s top young talents, along with Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount. However, he failed to establish himself at Stamford Bridge and subsequently moved to Rennes, Birmingham City, Sassuolo and Atalanta, before joining Nice in 2023.
2. Accursio Bentivegna (Pescara)
The Palermo prodigy was once predicted by Messi to shine but only made 7 appearances in Serie A before drifting through Carrarese, Juve Stabia and Pescara.
3. Kenedy (Real Valladolid)
Robert Kenedy Nunes do Nascimento, commonly known as Kenedy, made over 50 Premier League appearances for Chelsea, Watford and Newcastle United. However, he left England in 2019 and is now playing in La Liga with Real Valladolid.
4. Timo Werner (Tottenham Hotspur)
The most successful player on this list, Werner has won the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup with Chelsea. He currently plays for Tottenham Hotspur.
5. Maxwel Cornet (Genoa – on loan from West Ham United)
After impressing at Lyon, Cornet moved to the Premier League to join Burnley in 2021. He then joined West Ham, played for Southampton, and is currently on loan at Genoa.
6. Aleksei Miranchuk (Atlanta United)
Once a promising talent for Lokomotiv Moscow, Miranchuk moved to Atalanta (Italy) and made 98 appearances. Currently, he plays in MLS for Atlanta United.
7. Rony Lopes (Farense)
A former Manchester City youth talent, Lopes has played in various leagues such as France, Spain, Greece and Portugal before joining Alanyaspor (Türkiye) in 2024. He is currently playing for Farense on loan.
8. James Wilson (Northampton Town)
The former Manchester United youngster now plays for Northampton Town, after spending the majority of his playing career in England and Scotland.
9. Gyasi Zardes (Austin FC)
After leaving LA Galaxy in 2018, Zardes played for Columbus Crew, Colorado Rapids and Austin FC.
10. Khiry Shelton (Sporting Kansas City)
Another American name highly regarded by Messi, Shelton, is still playing for Sporting Kansas City at the age of 31.
Of the 10 young talents that Messi once trusted, only Timo Werner reached the highest level with major titles. The others had quite ordinary careers, some even drifted away from Europe’s top leagues.
