Messi’s "Top 10" Future Stars list Sparks Debate after Snubbing Barcelona’s Star

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·15 ottobre 2025

Messi’s "Top 10" Future Stars list Sparks Debate after Snubbing Barcelona’s Star

Argentine legend’s latest "+10" project sparks debate as Barcelona star misses out

Messi’s "Top 10" Future Stars list Sparks Debate after Snubbing Barcelona’s Star

OneFootball Video

Lionel Messi's revealed his picks for the 10 most exciting young talents in world football and the list has already caused stir.

Despite publicly praising Lamine Yamal on several occasions, the Barcelona prodigy wasn't included in Messi’s selection this time.

The omission comes as surprise given Yamal’s meteoric rise at just 18 year old establishing himself as key figure for Barcelona and 1 of the brightest stars of european football.

Similarly Franco Mastantuono the highly rated Real Madrid teenager & Messi’s compatriot was also absent from the list.

"Messi +10: Season 2" — The chosen names

The list unveiled as part of "Messi +10 - Season 2" (a global campaign launched by the Argentine icon & his brand partners) to spotlight the most promising young players in the world today.

Here're the players Messi selected:

Nico Paz (Real Madrid-Argentina) – Made his senior international debut in October 2024 vs Bolivia assisting Messi in 6-0 win.
Kendry Paez (Strasbourg/Chelsea-Ecuador) – One of South America’s brightest exports currently on loan in Ligue 1.
Rio Ngumoha (Liverpool-England) – Scored dramatic winner against Newcastle in the Premier League this season.
Mohamed Kader Meite (Stade Rennais-France) – Key figure in France’s youth teams and rising Ligue 1 star.
Brajan Gruda (Brighton-Germany) – Dynamic winger known for his pace and 1 v 1 ability.
Mika Godts (Ajax-Belgium) – Versatile attacker often compared to Eden Hazard.
Andrey Santos (Chelsea-Brazil) – Midfield orchestrator trusted by Enzo Maresca, already appearing in 7 game this season.
Rodrigo Mora (Porto-Portugal) – Made his professional debut aged just 15 ... a record for the club.

Messi also included 2 female talent in his list:

Clara Serrajordi (Barcelona-Spain) – Described as 1 of the most complete midfielders in the women’s game.
lily yohannes (Lyon-USA) – A rising star for club and country with exceptional vision & creativity.

🚨 Lionel Messi's list of "most promising talents": 1. Nico Paz 2. Kendry Páez 3. Rio Ngumoha 4. Mohamed Kader Meite 5. Clara Serrajordi 6. Brajan Gruda 7. Mika Godts 8. Andrey Santos 9. Lily Yohannes 10. Rodrigo Mora Neither of Lamine Yamal nor Mastantuono are included. —
– mercoledì 15 ottobre 2025