Although the transfers of superstars and big names are interesting and should be followed on a daily basis, some attention should be paid to the next generation. In fact, at some point Lionel Messi was 14 and deemed a promise. Ronaldo used to be 13 and playing for Nacional in total anonymity.
The youngster was on the radar of Europe's finest for the last few years
Yet here they are, not even 30 years old and already legends who won multiple Balon d’Ors. So who are the next stars? It’s hard to predict, but one can make a safe bet that Alen Halilovic has what it takes to be the next star. The fact that Barcelona was willing to spend £1.8M on the Croatian who was not even 18, is evidence enough. Moreover, Chelsea had been monitoring the youngster.
VIDEO: Watch Halilovic's incredible skills, goals, and passes
If that were not enough, the young prodigy debuted with Dinamo Zagreb’s senior team at the age of 16 and 101 days, making him the youngest ever player for the team. On top of that, Halilovic’s debut occurred during the ‘eternal derby,’ which his team won.
Halilovic debuted with the senior Croatian national team in a friendly against Portugal at age 16 and became the youngest debutat in Croatian history
During his two years at Dinamo, Halilovic collected 44 appearances and scored an impressive 7 goals. The Croatian plays with personality and is not afraid to try complicated moves, usually with success. He is quick off his feet, has great vision and dribbles when necessary. His simple, yet effective style of play earned the youngster the title of “next Messi” and the way he moves on the field, especially his left foot, remind one of Messi…a lot.
The young Croatian has been likened to Luka Modric, despite Halilovic being a more offensive player
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