It’s unlikely that we’ll ever see another player like Lionel Messi again.

Liverpool fans are rushing to mention Mohamed Salah in the same breath as the Barcelona maestro but those comparisons are premature.

Messi has produced brilliance year in, year out for more than a decade now and his goalscoring records will stand for a considerable length of time.

There are several articles out there where journalists have predicted players who can follow in the Argentinian’s footsteps but they look more embarrassing with each passing season.

In 2010, Bleacher Report included the likes of Sebastian Giovinco, Erik Lamela, Marko Marin, Jose Baxter and Bojan Krkic in a desperately ambitious article titled, ‘Top 25 Youngsters Who Could Be the Next Lionel Messi’.

How disrespectful towards Messi.

Yet there is one player who reminded even Barcelona legend Xavi of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.

Xavi: The player who was a mixture of Messi and Laudrup

Xavi spoke to So Foot at the start of the month and reminisced about Mario Rosas, who came through Barcelona’s La Masia academy at the same time as the World Cup winner.

“There was another [Andres] Iniesta at Barça,” Xavi said. “I will always remember his name: Mario Rosas.

“If you saw how he played at 15, 16 or 17, you would say: 'When this guy makes to the first team, the Camp Nou will hallucinate.'

“He was a mixture of [Michael] Laudrup and Messi, for real. He played with two feet, dribbled, was competitive.

'He got lost'

“He had it all, but he got lost. It shocked me. Maybe he was not professional enough or didn't have a strong mentality, we will never know.

“Adolescence is a crucial period in life, your personality isn't yet fully built and it is very easy to make mistakes.

“You are full of doubts: 'Will I be able to play for Barça?' 'Will I have the level for the first division?' 'Will I make it to the NT?’”

So what became of the player that made Xavi think of Iniesta, Laudrup and Messi?

He made only one appearance for Barcelona’s first team, playing alongside Luis Figo in a 4-1 defeat to UD Salamanca in May, 1998.

The 5 ft 5 in Rosas, who failed to meet the standards set by Louis van Gaal at the Camp Nou, was released in 2000 and joined Alves.

Alaves didn’t see any of the talent that Xavi spoke about and sent Rosas, an attacking midfielder, on loan to Salamanca for the 2001-02 campaign before selling him to Numancia in 2003.

The slide continued, with Rosas playing for a handful of Spanish clubs before settling at Castellon in 2005.

He made 123 appearances for the club across four seasons, scoring 16 goals.

Rosas tasted relegated at Castellon and again upon his return to Salamanca.

He spent the 2011-12 season in Azerbaijan with FK Khazar before returning to Spain and ending his career in 2014.

Based on Xavi's words, football has missed out on a true talent.