The ‘new Messi‘ is an unfortunate tag that many footballers have had to bear over the past decade to 15 years, but in the case of France’s latest starlet, it is unavoidable. Dijon forward Rayane Messi will no doubt hit the headlines sooner than his contemporaries if he continues to perform.
The 16-year-old winger tends to operate on the left side, and stands out for his burst of pace, power and ability to escape defenders. He recently notched a brace against England for France’s under-17s in a 2-1 win, as per Diario AS. Currently he is playing for Dijon’s under-19 and B side, and this season has four goals in just 904 minutes this season.
Messi, the French variety, is quite likely paying little attention to notoriety given to him by his namesake, but that will only become harder if he continues to rise up the footballing ladder. His goals qualified France for the under-17 Euros.