From Premier League Flop to Oil Tycoon: The Rise of the 'Next MessI'

Mexican Giovani dos Santos was a soccer prodigy, when he emerged at Barcelona he was compared to Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho, but he was never able to stand out in his career and his time at Tottenham failed. Now he is immersed in the oil business in Mexico and has earnings of half a million euros.

Messi vs. Giovani dos Santos: An Inevitable Comparison

Giovani dos Santos was one of the great promises of Mexican soccer, compared at the time to Lionel Messi himself. Both emerged from La Masia, FC Barcelona's youth academy, and shared characteristics such as their ability with the ball and their capacity to overflow rivals. However, their careers and achievements were markedly different.

Why the comparison?

La Masia: Both players were trained in the same youth academy, which inevitably generated comparisons due to the similarity of their ages and positions.

Innate ability: Both Messi and dos Santos demonstrated exceptional ball skills and vision from a very young age.

Nationality: As two of the most talented Mexican players of their generation, it was natural to compare them and expect dos Santos to follow in Messi's footsteps.