Sunderland winger Patrick Roberts was once famously included on Lionel Messi’s ‘Ones to Watch’ list back in 2016.
Now, we are not saying the Barcelona legend does not have an eye for talent – it can be difficult to predict how any young player’s career will go – but it’s fair to say none of those put forward by Lionel Messi back in 2016 have come anywhere close to joining the Argentina captain amongst football’s elite.
Kasper Dolberg has had his moments – in his early days at Ajax and back in the 2021 European Championships – while Davide Calabria has made over 250 appearances in a very respectable career at AC Milan.
Patrick Roberts, meanwhile, has reached the age of 27 with only six Premier League appearances to his name.
Sunderland signed Milan Aleksic from Radnicki
Former Celtic loanee Roberts, highlighted as a potential star of the future by Messi nearly a decade ago via The Mirror, is not the only Sunderland player with a connection to the eight-time Ballon D’Or winner.
Milan Aleksic, a late-August recruit alongside Wilson Isidor and Abdul Samed from NK Radnicki 1923, was likened to Messi by Serbia national team boss Dragan Stojkovic in an interview with Mozzart Sport back in May.
Of course, almost every country on the planet has had their own so-called ‘Mini Messi’ over the years and most of those have struggled to live up to such lofty expectations.
Whether 19-year-old Aleksic swims or sinks at Sunderland remains to be seen.
But Slavko Perovic – the sporting director at Radnicki – believes that a fee of around £3 million is testament not only to Aleksic’s potential but also the success of the club’s youth development. The teenager becomes the most expensive export in Radnicki’s 101-year existance.
“It is an indicator of healthy work and business, a process and continuity that we have had for four years,” Slavko Perovic tells Radio Television Kragujevac. “Something we planted three or four years ago, we are now reaping the fruits of it.
“Nothing is accidental. It is a historic moment and a big deal for Radnicki to sell a player for a potential 3.7 million euros with bonuses.”
Perovic feels that Radnicki has proven themselves to be as capable as the biggest clubs in Serbia when it comes to selling talented young players for considerable fees.
“For clubs with a better transfer history such as, for example, Vojvodina and Partizan (Belgrade), to envy us for that, this is a really big thing for us,” adds the director.
Black Cats thriving under Regis le Bris
Aleksic scored twice and grabbed an assist during his seven appearances for Radnicki at the start of this season.
A central midfielder rather than a winger like Roberts, the teenager will provide depth in Regis Le Bris’ engine room with Alan Browne, Chris Rigg and Jobe Bellingham – back in his favoured role after a season moonlighting as a number nine – Aleksic’s arrival is another source of excitement for a Sunderland fanbase basking in their best start to a league season in 99 years.
“I saw one reception of the ball like Messi,” Stojkovic said when discussing the first time he saw Aleksic’s talents first-hand. “This is something that not everyone can do.
“He has phenomenal control of the ball, vision, and passing. He is already in our junior side and the future is working for him.”
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