Lionel Messi’s 10 future stars list with two Premier League players including Arsenal ace

Lionel Messi’s 10 future stars list with two Premier League players including Arsenal ace

The Argentina hero has named 10 Adidas athletes as his rising stars of the future, with two Premier League youngsters included

Arsenal's Max Dowman and Crystal Palace winger Zavier Gozo have been included in Lionel Messi's list of the top 10 future stars. The Premier League duo have been hand-selected by the Argentina hero as Adidas-sponsored athletes that are the 'next generation' of football.

Gozo joined Palace in the summer after catching the top-flight club's eye for his work at Real Salt Lake City in the MLS. Across 50 appearances in the United States, the 19-year-old scored 10 goals and assisted eight times from a right-wing position.

He is slowly being introduced to the first-team squad in south London, having played 45 minutes so far. Meanwhile, Dowman has a much richer Premier League history despite being four years younger than Gozo.

The 16-year-old etched his name in the record books after becoming the youngest top-flight goalscorer ever with a winning strike against Everton last season. Dowman's meteoric rise has continued this campaign, with Mikel Arteta carefully managing his playing time.

Most recently, he scooped the Carabao Cup Player of the Round award following a brace against Ipswich Town, and also holds three Guinness World Records for his Everton goal, a rare Champions League appearance at 15, and his Premier League title triumph. Now, his remarkable development has attracted the attention of Messi himself.

Gozo and Dowman were both unveiled in the footballing icon's list of the next generation of footballing greats in partnership with Adidas, selecting 10 athletes backed by the prestigious brand. Como winger Jesus Rodriguez and Arsenal-linked Gilberto Mora were also named on Messi's top 10.

ESPN reports that the Gunners are plotting a January move for Mora after making contact with Tijuana regarding the 17-year-old Mexico international. He has also been linked with Benfica, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund.

The full list of Messi's chosen stars includes: Tomas Aranda (Boca Juniors), Kees Smit (AZ Alkmaar), Can Uzun (Eintracht Frankfurt), Chloe Sarwie (Chelsea), Giovanna Waksman (Lyon) and Lotta Wrede (Hamburger SV).

Arteta shares Messi's admiration for Dowman, though the Arsenal boss has urged supporters to remain patient with the teenager as he finds his feet in the squad. Back in September, the Gunners manager was quizzed on whether the youngster could become a regular fixture in the Premier League, and he was quick to offer his verdict.

Arteta said: "Everything is possible. The probability probably is extremely low, because you don't see the players with the capacity to handle just the physicality of the game.

"Not only that, but the demands that you have to put your bodies through in the week to be able to be in a good condition to compete, the amount of information, the challenges that you have to face. But he's doing it, and he's doing it really well every time he's got a chance."

Stressing the importance of nurturing Dowman carefully, he added: "What we have to do is look after him - he's 16-years-old, you don't see that in this league. In other leagues in Europe, that's a totally different context. But in this league, with the demands that the league, the players and everything puts on you, we really need to make sure every time we throw him in, he's in the right context with the right preparation, and that's what we are trying to do.

"We're going to make sure that when we just throw him there, he's ready to handle that at every level, and it's not just that he can run past somebody. There's a lot more things that we need to look after him...the only thing that we have to manage is that he needs to constantly be aware that he needs to be prepared for what he needs to do."

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