Premier League duo Wolverhampton Wanderers and Newcastle United reportedly wanted Francisco Trincao before his move to La Liga winners Barcelona.
Even the great Lionel Messi cannot defy Father Time forever.
And while Barcelona would love nothing more than to cryogenically freeze their talisman’s DNA and clone a whole army of mini Messis, the likelihood remains that the La Liga champions will have to take a more, let’s say, ‘conventional’ route as they plan for life after arguably the game’s finest ever footballer.
Now, 20-year-old Francisco Trincao really doesn’t need a ‘new Messi’ tag around his neck (look what that did to Bojan). But, with his wand of a left foot, his mesmeric dribbling skills and his eye for a defences-splitting through ball, Barca’s new £26 million superkid will have to get used to those lofty comparisons.
That is just the nature of the beast.
“Trincao is an incredible player, with lots of character and remarkable quality,” Abel Ruiz, the Barcelona loanee who has shone alongside Trincao at Braga, tells PortuGoal..
“He’s a great dribbler, he can go past his man either side, on the right, on the left, and he’s got a very good shot. He’s a very complete player. I’d say he’s similar to Messi.”
According to O Jogo, Steve Bruce’s Newcastle United sent scouts to watch one of Portugal’s many rough diamonds during the January transfer window, a matter of weeks before Trincao completed his shock move to the Camp Nou.
Wolverhampton Wanderers were keen too, via the Sun, when the youngster was valued at just £13 million. While Wolves succeeded in luring Ruben Neves, Diogo Jota, Rui Patricio and co to Molineux, Trincao is one Iberian talent who slipped through the net.
And if this dazzling attacking midfielder does thrive in a post-Messi world at Barcelona, Newcastle and Wolves may be left wondering what might have been.
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