Lionel Messi Names 10 Future Stars of Football Including Joel Ndala & Lamine Yamal

Lionel Messi has named 10 young footballers that he thinks will become superstars in the future. The Inter Miami man is considered one of the greatest footballers of all time, if not number one. His legacy over the course of nearly two decades is unmatched. Whether it was for Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Argentina or now in the United States with Miami, he’s accomplished some legendary things and dominated football like no one else.

As a result, there are few more suited to spotting talent than maybe the most talented individual to ever step onto a football pitch. As a result, he was the perfect candidate to select the 10 footballers who he thinks will go on to become major superstars throughout their careers. In a video shared to Adidas’ official Instagram page, Messi revealed the players. Watch the clip below:

It Was All Part of an Advertising Campaign

Messi Picked the Players to Promote Adidas

When you’re a superstar as significant and as popular as Messi, it’s only natural that there will be plenty of endorsement deals and advertising campaigns heading your way away from the pitch. The latest for the Argentine is with Adidas and will introduce the Messi+10 a new F50 football boot to the world.

To promote the upcoming release and to tie-in with the Messi+10 brand and name, the forward was asked to reveal the 10 footballers that he thought would become major superstars down the line – and he went on to select a variety of male and female players.

Messi’s Top 10

Lamine Yamal

It should come as no surprise to anyone to see Lamine Yamal included in Messi’s list. The Barcelona star has shone on the grandest stages for the Catalan giants and Spain following his professional debut at just 15 years old. While Messi is the greatest player in the club’s history, Yamal is set for a very bright future at Camp Nou.

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Jaedyn Shaw

At just 19 years old, Jaedyn Shaw has already made a pretty big name for herself in football. She’s already one of the USWNT’s best players and has picked up 16 caps for her country while scoring seven goals along the way. With her national team and the San Diego Wave, she has plenty of silverware under her belt so far. The sky is the limit for Shaw.

Vicky Lopez

Another Barcelona prospect, Vicky Lopez signed with the club when she was just 16 years old and has since flourished into a key figure for the first-team. Since 2022, the forward has already played 48 times for the team and scored 10 goals. Not bad for an 18-year-old. With two Champions League titles already under her belt at the age of 18, Lopez is off to a very promising start.

Cavan Sullivan

You’ve got to be a pretty exciting young talent to get your first taste of senior football at just 14 years old and that’s what Cavan Sullivan did. Having agreed to a future move to Manchester City, there’s a strong chance that the 15-year-old could be tearing things up in the Premier League one day. For now, he’s making a name for himself at MLS side Philadelphia Union.

Joel Ndala

The only English player to be selected by Messi, Joel Ndala is currently a City prospect. He came through the ranks at the Etihad and recently joined PSV Eindoven’s reserve team on loan for the campaign. The forward has represented the Three Lions at multiple youth levels.

Claudio Echeverri

Another City prospect named by Messi is Claudio Echeverri. The Argentine burst onto the scene at River Plate and Pep Guardiola’s men wasted no time snatching him up to a long-term deal earlier this year. He was immediately loaned back to The Millionaires and has impressed so far this campaign.

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Kenan Yildiz

After 10 years in the Bayern Munich academy, Kenan Yildiz moved to Juventus in 2022 and it’s with the Serie A club that he’s emerged as a first-team player and demonstrated tremendous potential. So far, the Turkish international has played 41 times for the Turin-based team and scored five times. He’s still just 19 years old and Messi sees a very bright future down the line for him.

Eliesse Ben Seghir

Having joined Monaco’s youth set-up in 2020, Eliesse Ben Seghir has blossomed into a very talented attacking midfielder. He’s adapted to senior football seamlessly. This season, he’s already recorded four goal contributions, matching last campaign’s return and has played in Ligue 1 and the Champions League. Monaco clearly have a lot of faith in his potential and so too does Messi.

Assan Ouedraogo

After emerging into the Schalke 04 first-team, RB Leipzig acted quick and brought Assan Ouedraogo to the club earlier this year. The young midfielder has is known for his blistering speed. His ability to use both feet comfortably makes him a very useful figure and he’s represented the Germany U17 side on 17 occasions so far. Ouedraogo is yet to feature for his new team, but Messi is still a big believer in his future.

Antonio Nusa

After catching the eye at Club Brugge, Antonio Nusa joined RB Leipzig earlier this year and he hasn’t let them down yet. The Norwegian has already proven in the past that he’s capable of performing on the grandest stages, with goals in the Champions League and Bundesliga under his belt now. He’s even one of the youngest goalscorers in Champions League history, scoring his first goal in the tournament when he was just 17 years and 149 days old. The electric winger has settled into life kindly in Germany and things should only get better.

All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt and accurate as of 11/10/24.