There can be few bigger compliments in football than being selected by Lionel Messi as a player capable of going onto great things, and one Sunderland star had exactly that experience.
Plenty of current Sunderland players appear to be destined for the very top right now, with both Chris Rigg and Jobe Bellingham of particular interest for huge clubs across Europe.
It remains to be seen if, and for how long, Sunderland can keep hold of their brightest stars, and a lot will depend on how the rest of this season goes under Regis Le Bris.
However, looking back some years to 2016, one of the more experienced heads in the current Sunderland squad was picked out by Lionel Messi as one to watch for the future.
Patrick Roberts was ‘backed by Messi’ in 2016
As part of an initiative by Messi nine years ago, the Argentina legend hand-selected ten so-called wonderkids who would receive his special seal of approval, with the promise that they should become stars of tomorrow.
An interesting premise, and even more fascinating for Sunderland fans, as Patrick Roberts made the list. This was at a time when he was still on Manchester City’s books, and was just enjoying a loan spell away at Celtic.
The selection didn’t necessarily give Roberts or his fellow chosen players any real advantage in the game, though they did get a chance to dabble in the spotlight thanks to Messi’s recommendation.
Also included on the list were Brazilian midfielder Gabriel Boschilia, women’s star Nadazdha Karpova, Thailand international Chanathip Songkrasin, Denmark ace Kasper Dolberg, former Leeds United man Jean-Kevin Augustin, Alex Muyl, Italian ace Davide Calabria, Kekuta Manneh, and Nathan Allan de Souza.
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He may not be a superstar, but Patrick Roberts has had a solid career
While the likes of Davide Calabria and Kasper Dolberg have forged fairly successful if unremarkable careers with clubs like AC Milan and Ajax, we’d have to say that, in terms of meaningful impact, Roberts might actually be the top of the class.
He always offers a ‘big contribution’ to Sunderland’s efforts, and he has the ability to be a real gamechanger on his day. That’s not to mention the fact he is now one of the more senior players in the Sunderland squad, and is consistently supporting the younger players around him.
Roberts only has six Premier League appearances to his name, but will hope he can help Sunderland get promoted this season and add to that tally in 2025/26. Plus, he spent time playing in La Liga, Ligue 1, and the SPL, so the he’s had his fair share of experience across some of Europe’s top leagues already.
So, while Roberts may not have gone to the very top — at least not yet — he has still managed to carve out a solid career for himself so far. We’ll reserve judgement on Messi’s recommendation for the time being, then.