Who is FC Barcelona’s ‘new Messi’?

Argentina and Spain’s football federations, the AFA and RFEF respectively, are both interested in recruiting Pedro Juarez, a 10-year-old footballer in Barcelona’s La Masia academy, Forbes reported.

Pedro, who has been dubbed as the “new Messi”, is registered with Barca’s under-10 (U10) team in the Catalan youth leagues.

This season, he has scored an impressive 38 goals in 26 matches.

Originally from the Argentine city of Salta, Pedro and his family moved to Barcelona in 2020 and caught the attention of Blaugrana scouts.

“Pedrito”, as he is often referred to, went viral a year later with a sensational solo goal where he dribbled the length of the pitch, earning him not just comparison to his idol Lionel Messi, but also a sponsorship deal with Nike.

According to a report by Forbes, Pedrito is highly likely to become the centre of a dispute between the country of his birth and his current country of residence, just like Messi faced in his younger years.

According to Mundo Deportivo, the AFA is planning to call up Pedrito to their national team’s U-15s as a way of securing his services early.

However, there is still a long road ahead for Pedrito.

He needs to first turn professional and then play at least three senior matches for a national team before he can be retained permanently, according to Fifa regulations.