The fall of Ansu Fati: From the next Lionel Messi to Barcelona outcast before his 21st birthday

The La Masia starlet who inherited Barca's famous No.10 shirt has fallen out of favour in Catalunya and could leave before the transfer deadline

Ansu Fati was supposed to be the next big thing. A La Masia product who liked to cut in from the wing, take on defenders and fire on goal with deadly precision, he was pretty much the closest player Barcelona had produced to Lionel Messi in years.

For 12 glorious months, Ansu looked ready to take up Messi's mantle. He made his debut in September 2019, and tore up La Liga for almost a year. He broke countless records, scored at a better rate than early-career Messi, and, perhaps most importantly, played exciting football. This was the next Messi, the guy Barca could rely on for years to come.

Or so it seemed. Fati would soon descend into injury hell, never really recovering from a knee issue, and suffered a series of muscle problems as a result. Four years on from his debut, Fati could be on his way out — perhaps an ideal outcome for all parties.

But how did it all go so wrong? GOAL tracks Fati's career, looking at how a player once tipped to be one of the world's best now finds himself benched and seeking an exit from his boyhood club...