There is a weird fascination with comparing players to those that have gone before.
That's not limited to football, by the way. In the NFL draft, for example, scouts and journalists fall over themselves to draw parallels with existing pros to help people understand the style and potential ability of a college prospect.
In our own form of football, things aren't so specific. While you wouldn't find a centre-back getting called 'the next Maradona' or 'the Uzbek Ronaldo', it seems a lot of comparisons can be pretty slack.
Maxi Romero, for example, is expected to sign for Arsenal soon and has been labelled 'the new Messi' despite being an out-and-out centre-forward.
Basically if you're good and young and play forward of the halfway line, you're at risk of a high-pressure epithet and Lionel Messi - being arguably the best player in the world - is top of the list of comparisons.
Here are 18 players that know it all too well:
Maxi Romero - the new Messi
The man who inspired our list, Maxi Romero is a 16-year-old striker who will sign for Arsenal if they can work out the complex issues regarding his ownership.
A legitimate concern is the amount of talented players who have come out of Velez's academy and never done anything - the last proper success was probably Jonas Gutierrez - but he's a highly-rated young player who will stay in Argentina for two more seasons.
The new Messi though? A centre-forward? He's Argentine, that's about it.
Messi rating: B+ but mainly potential
Juan Manuel Iturbe - the Paraguayan Messi
Iturbe was born in Buenos Aires but came through the ranks in Paraguay with Cerro Porteño, where his low centre of gravity and quick dribbling caught the eye. Moves to Porto and a loan to Hellas Verona ended up with him dazzling Serie A and he earned a huge-money move to Serie A.
Despite being labelled the Guarani or Paraguayan Messi, the winger declared for the country of his birth when Argentina wheeled out the full charm offensive. At 16, Diego Maradona took him along to the 2010 World Cup to train with the full squad and he declared his intention to play for the Albiceleste.
That said, he's still to win his first cap.
Messi rating: B - plays for a big club but much to prove still
Claudio Nancufil - the snow Messi
Claudio Gabriel Nancufil, nicknamed Snow Messi, hit the headlines when a raft of top clubs were vying for his signature in 2013 . The 8-year-old plays for a junior club in Bariloche, Argentina, whose location at the foot of the Andes lends Nancufil his somewhat ludicrous nickname.
Nancufil has amazing dribbling skills and control, is left footed and is also very small for his age - hence the Messi comparisons.
His family got an agency, Sueno Comunicaciones, to broker a move to Europe with all of the big clubs vying for his services. We've heard nothing since.
Messi rating: D for 'disappeared off the face of the planet'
Ryan Gauld - the baby Messi
The wee Dundee United talent attracted a lot of interest as some of Europe's top clubs watched with interest . In the end, the teenage Gauld opted for a move to Sporting CP , where he has since claimed to have "escaped" the Baby Messi tag.
At 5ft 6in, he certainly fulfils the height requirements to be compared to the Argentina captain, and his dribbling style isn't far off either.
Whether he'll ever be as good we won't know for some time... but probably not.
(Point of order: The Scottish Messi was, inexplicably, Barry Bannan)
Messi rating: C - not yet in the Sporting first team, but time on his side
Take Kubo - the Japanese Messi
Takefusa Kubo has had a far bigger impact on football than you might realise, considering you've probably never heard his name before.
Yes, Kubo is one of the kids signed by Barcelona that triggered their current transfer ban. And while the grander focus might be on the fact they can't bring in Paul Pogba, perhaps it's time to invoke the Helen Lovejoy defence on this... "won't somebody PLEASE think of the children?"
Indeed, it's Barca's academy youngsters who have been hit by the Fifa ruling, and those under-18s who aren't from the EU have been prevented from playing. American Ben Lederman, 14, Bobby Adekanye, a 16-year-old from Nigeria, and a host of others are thus expected to walk out on the Camp Nou club.
And poor Take Kubo already has, quitting Barcelona this month to head back to Japan, where he left in pursuit of his dreams in 2011 aged just 13. Sad times.
Messi rating: C- Back in Japan but obviously talented enough for La Masia
Sardar Azmoun - the Iranian Messi
Still just 20, the Iranian Messi could still make it to the top of the game.
Though the fact that Rubin Kazan have loaned him out to Rostov doesn't bode particularly well.
Azmoun has some international caps under his belt and could have represented Iran at volleyball before heartlessly turning his back on the people's sport for a career in soccer.
Messi rating: E - Rostov, lads. Rostov.
Lorenzo Insigne - the Italian Messi
He ticks most of the requisite Messi boxes - shortish in stature, good dribbler, quick and plays from the flank.
He also plays for a big club in the Champions League, which puts him miles above some of the reprobates on this list.
But injury has stalled the 23-year-old's progress this season, with his nine-minute cameo last weekend the first time he's played since November.
Messi rating: B+ needs to stay fit and kick on.
Li Ming - the Chinese Messi
Well if you're going to find a Messi in Scotland, it would be difficult not to stumble across one in a country of well over a billion people.
That man (boy) is Li Ming.
Interestingly, if you google Li Ming then you actually get a lot of pictures of bikini-clad singer and actor Li Ming.
The 15-year-old football prodigy plays for Qingdao's Chengyang Experimental No. 2 Primary School.
Messi rating: E - appears to be just a kid on YouTube.
Christian Atsu - the African Messi
Yes, the African Messi plays for Everton (on loan from Chelsea).
It's probably too early to say he's not going to make it to the top, and he's already played at a World Cup.
But he's not exactly torn it up on the few chances he's been given in the Premier League.
Messi rating: C - Will probably be a top-flight player but not elite
Zak Gilsenan - the Australian/Irish Messi
Both Australia and Ireland have laid claim to this kid since he signed for Barcelona, aged 9.
But the Irish-born Aussie is also eligible for England, so we remain hopeful that he may one-day provoke the biggest three-way international tussle since Adnan Januzaj couldn't decide on his Anglo-Albano-Belgian heritage.
Messi rating: B+ The combination of La Masia and actual talent bodes well
Alan Dzagoev - the Russian Messi
A major star in Moscow, the financial might of the Russian league means that despite rumoured interest from abroad.
And he's good, undoubtedly so. But for all his talent he's unlikely to reach Leo levels.
Messi rating: C+ Untested outside Russia, impressive at Euro 2012
Walid Soliman - the Egyptian Messi
Walid's claim suffers slightly as he is older than Messi, which is the reason we haven't included Arjen Robben in this list despite Wesley Sneijder claim he was the Dutch equivalent.
The Al-Ahly man is 30, a 5ft 7in attacking midfielder with a wonderful left peg and the swagger for it.
But he is 30, so his opportunity to emulate Messi's haul of Champions League titles and Ballon d'Or trophies could, quite possibly, be behind him.
Messi rating: E - for 'Egyptian'
Marco Rojas - the Kiwi Messi
And there is you thinking that Leicester City benchwarmer Chris Wood is New Zealand football's greatest hope? Nah.
In a country where soccer is so irrelevant that Winston Reid gets beaten to Maori Sports Personality of the Year by a wood-chopping duo, they really need a star.
So will Marco Rojas, 23, be that man?!?!? Probably not. But he's on loan at FC Thun from VgB Stuttgart.
Messi rating: D+ Playing in European football at least
Ioannis Fetfatzidis - the Greek Messi
Once again, a short, diminutive winger whose proximity to the ground means he has that same jinking dribble as the Barcelona man.
Having burst into the Greek national team, helping them qualify for Euro 2012 with some vital goals, Fetfatzidis controversially spent virtually the entire tournament on the bench. His Olympiakos career then bizarrely fell apart so he abandoned his homeland for Serie A.
Last month he was involved in a fatal car crash with two other Greek internationals but escaped with stitches to a head wound.
Messi rating: D - As bust as the Greek economy
Mario Gotze - the German Messi
He scored the winning goal in a World Cup final, and is thus arguably ahead of even Messi.
I mean, not on an individual level. But he's on a different planet to most of these chumps.
Messi rating: A - can claim achievements that Leo still dreams of
Jose Angel Pozo - the mini Messi
Manchester City splashed out a few million to bring the teenager over from Spain and he is very highly regarded by those at the Etihad.
He's now played three Premier League games and looks set to have an increased role with the club.
Messi rating: B - Real Madrid background ruins the nickname but talent promises much
David Gonzalez - the non-league Messi
A La Masia graduate, he won the European Under-17 Championships with Spain alongside David De Gea and chums in 2007.
But David Gonzalez was, until recently, at Macclesfield Town.
While he is still local enough to be able to go for meals with former teammate Bojan, their worlds are slightly different as Fernandez trudges around Conference grounds every week while his former roommates light up the biggest stadiums in Europe.
Messi rating: F - but he's still trying. Which is nice
Mazinho - Messi black(?!)
This Brazilian nickname is somewhat problematic so we're going to gloss over it, but he earned it while playing lower-league stuff with Oeste.
Messi rating: F
Osvaldo - Messi of the north-east
His teeny stature, explosive pace and dribbling earned the Sao Paulo man the nickname of the "Messi do nordeste" owing to his Fortaleza origins.
Now playing in the Saudi Arabian league, it's fair to say things haven't turned out as planned.
Also an issue is that he has been - at other times - called Cristiano Osvaldo. CHOOSE ONE AND STICK WITH IT.
Machapisho
Hakuna maoni:
Chapisha Maoni