5 players who can replace Lionel Messi at Barcelona

Irreplaceable

Lionel Messi has been an absolute phenomenon and is undoubtedly one of the greatest footballers of all time. While it is impossible to replace this once in a lifetime footballer for any team, Barcelona will have to eventually do it.

Luckily, their own academy, La Masia, is renowned for producing supreme young talent and while the Catalan giants have some young gems coming through the academy, they might also look outside their own club to replace the Argentine maestro.

Barcelona midfield legend Xavi underlined Messi’s importance to the squad when he said:

“When Messi ends his career, there will be Neymar, Eden Hazard and five or 10 players at a similar level, but none with the unquestionable superiority of Messi.”

Keeping this in mind, let us take a look at 5 potential heirs for Lionel Messi’s crown at Barcelona.

#5 Carles Alena

A gem in the La Masia stables, Carles Alena is touted by many to become the next big homegrown star at Barcelona. Since joining Barcelona as an 8-year-old, 19-year-old Carles Alena has captained all the youth teams including the Juvenil A squad and is an important member of the Barcelona B squad.

An attacking midfielder, Alena is capable of playing in the number 8 role, number 10 role and even on the wings. Having a playing style which looks like an amalgamation of both Messi and Iniesta, the young Spaniard has a knack of scoring spectacular goals and is definitely earmarked for great things by the Barcelona hierarchy.

Another huge positive for Alena is that he is naturally left-footed. The young Spaniard always seems to find space in the midfield and is rarely hurried. However, his finishing skills still leave a lot to be desired and only time will tell if he is good enough to be Barcelona’s next superstar.

For now, let us enjoy Alena’s skills and immense potential: