da dobrowin： The world has seen its fair share of “next Messis”. Every now and then, we get a new prodigy who seems so utterly brilliant that it leaves everyone gasping for air; a talent so undeniable it makes us spit bold predictions and herald the next big thing to the point where we dare say: “yes, he’ll be the next Lionel Messi.”
da betway： But they never are, are they? At least, so far we haven’t really found a kid who lived up to the expectation in such an extraordinary way that he actually warranted such a comparison. Messi doesn’t need much of an introduction. Everyone on the planet knows who he is and what he can do. With that in mind, comparisons with him often serve as the biggest compliment of them all.
Of the current crop of players, Kylian Mbappe just might be the only kid on the block still lauded as the one to take over the torch, win that Ballon d’Or in the future and continue the Argentine’s legacy. But Mbappe is no Messi just yet, and he is no La Masia prodigy either. Barcelona would probably like to believe that an heir to Messi’s throne will follow his footsteps almost every step of the way.
Someone who could start the journey in their academy and finish it on top of the world, kissing that Blaugrana crest and, ideally, lifting countless trophies along the way. That’s exactly why they have been so excited about Ansu Fati, the young 16-year-old prodigy who broke records in the last couple of weeks.
The crown jewel of La Masia first became the second-youngest Barcelona player to make a senior debut for the team, doing so at the tender age of just 16 years, nine months and 25 days. By all accounts, that was an incredible achievement. But he didn’t stop there. He stayed with the seniors, trained with them and got his second call-up just last weekend against Osasuna.
The stage in Pamplona is one the Catalans don’t really remember well as it never brought them good memories. No one really expected the 16-year-old to get more minutes, especially considering the opponent and regardless of the circumstances with the injuries in the team. But not only was he introduced at the beginning of the second half but he also did the impossible – he scored a goal.
It was a beautifully taken header that pulled one goal back for Barcelona, resetting the scoreline to one-all. The final result was 2-2 but Fati was still at the very centre of attention. That strike made him the third-youngest player ever to score in La Liga and Barcelona’s youngest in history. 16 years, nine months and 25 days edged out the former record-holder, a well-known name of Bojan Krkić, who scored against Villarreal in 2007 being 17 years and 53 days old.
Two remarkable records and two rather extraordinary players, no doubts about that. Krkić, now long ex-Barcelona and aged 29, quickly took to Twitter to congratulate the new kid on the block in a really classy gesture. But when all is said and done, Blaugrana will most likely want all comparisons of Fati with Krkić to stop with that single record. No more than that.
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You see, just like some would love to call Fati the “next Messi”, there were many, many before who did the same for Krkić – a kid raised through the ranks of La Masia with talent unmatched and unseen since the Argentine wizard himself, racking up appearances with the senior team, leaving school at 3pm and bagging goals in the Champions League at 8pm. Not many had the luxurious life of little Krkić. And then, in nothing more than a whisper, he was gone.
His career took a swift tumble, the goals stopped flowing, the moves were no longer silky and sweet and the hype, even before Twitter and social media, was all but gone. And so was his Barcelona career. In July 2011, Krkić joined AS Roma permanently. The year after that, he was loaned out to AC Milan, who promptly returned him back to the capital at the end of that short spell.
He had a brief reunion with Barcelona in 2013 but spells with Ajax, Stoke City and Alaves soon followed as the former prodigy simply couldn’t find a home anymore. Finally, this year, he joined Montreal Impact on a free transfer from England. But why did it all go wrong for Krkić and why would the same thing happen to Fati?
Simple. Krkić had all the ability in the world. He was an exceptional player who scored 41 goals and assisted 19 in 163 games he played for Barcelona. Before that, he scored 900 goals while rising through the ranks of La Masia. His ability and brilliance with the ball were never under question. And yet, he failed.
“I remember my first day, I was sat five metres from where the bottles of water were kept, I was thirsty but I never went up to get a bottle as I was scared of doing something wrong.”, Krkić recalled in an interview with Marca. “Everything exploded and I wasn’t even an adult.”
He was thrown into the spotlight far too early, with no shield and nothing to prepare him for a storm that was coming. He had constant panic attacks and anxiety issues. When talking to Guardian about it, he said: “With me, it was a dizziness, feeling sick, constant, 24 hours a day,” he continued: “There was a pressure here, powerful, never going away.”
There’s only so much a young 16-year-old could fathom. There’s only so much he could overcome. Most of us are uncomfortable speaking in front of our class or in a room full of people. How about a gladiatorial arena the size of Camp Nou that can host almost 100,000 people, all staring at you, inspecting your every move, expecting this “new Messi” to awe them, to inspire them and to lead them to glory?
Having such a generational talent like Fati is brilliant and Barcelona have done well to keep him at the club, groom him until he’s ready for the first team and they’re seeing their first results already. But they should also be patient.
Throwing him into the fires of the spotlight, the pressure of the first-team and the pressure of the expectations that follow every single Barcelona player might be a bit too much. The last thing they need is another world-class talent wasted away due to rash decisions, impatience and selfishness.
The Catalans have to do everything in their power to sooth Fati’s transition into the big league. For their own but also for Fati’s sake.
He is too talented and too good to be mismanaged. Don’t let him go down Krkić’s path.
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