The Next Messi? 17-Year-Old Scores Seven Times In Argentina Youth Championship [VIDEO]

Five years ago, FC Barcelona believed they had found the next Lionel Messi. He was a scrawny, 12-year-old kid by the name of Guido Vadala who hailed from the town of Rosario in Argentina, the birth place of Messi. The comparisons were uncanny; they came from the same town, they were both under 5’9” inches tall, they were shy, left-footed, and wonders on the pitch.

Barca offered Vadala a trial and wanted to sign him to their youth system. They even sweetened the pot by offering his father a job so that his entire family could move to Spain. The Catalan giants wanted to keep their discovery relatively hidden, however, once Vadala arrived in Spain for his trial, word spread throughout Europe and clubs in both England and Italy also offered Vadala a trial.

The 12-year-old wunderkind ultimately chose Italy, and after years buried in the youth programs of Atalanta and La Masia, Vadala decided that Italy wasn’t for him and he returned to Argentina. Years passed, and the next Lionel Messi lied dormant, until last weekend.

Vadala burst back onto the national scene on Sunday when he scored an unheralded seven goals in the Argentina youth championship game. Now 17-years-old, Vadala plays for the Boca Juniors and helped his team win the youth championship against the Argentinos Juniors 8-2. In 2013, Vadala scored 32 goals and was the top goal scorer of all youth divisions in Argentina. He was named the 2013 outstanding youth player of the year for all of Argentina.

After his performance on Sunday, Vadala caught the attention of Argentina’s national team manager, Carlos Bianchi, who is hoping to nurture Vadala along with the national team in hopes to team him up with Messi in the next couple of years. It took a few years longer than most expected, but the 12-year-old kid that Barcelona thought would become the next Messi is now on the right trajectory to follow in his hometown hero’s footsteps. Soon, the kid known simply as “Guido” will sign a professional contract to play in Europe, he will rise with the national team, and if all goes to plan, he may indeed become the next Messi.