Lionel Messi Tips Chelsea Youngster for Superstardom After Watching Him Play

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has claimed Chelsea's Mason Mount has the potential to become one of the world's top players.

Having made his breakthrough to the senior side this season, Mount has proven to be a core part of Frank Lampard's team. In his 41 appearances to date, he has managed six goals and five assists, earning himself a spot in Gareth Southgate's England squad in the process.

However, despite some impressive showings, Mount has often faced criticism from some Chelsea fans for his perceived inconsistency, with many forgetting that this is a 21-year-old in his first season of top-flight football.

That clearly hasn't been lost on Messi, who partnered with Topps KICK to create a new deck of Champions League collectable cards. Mount has been given a 'youth on the rise' card - a sentiment Messi obviously agrees with.

“Having watched him play he has the potential to be one of the best,” Messi wrote on Mount's card.

Mount is yet to show his best in Europe this season, failing to register either a goal or an assist in Chelsea's seven games this year, but there are still high hopes for him at Stamford Bridge.

Lampard has often jumped to the defence of Mount, particularly after his fantastic showing in February's 2-1 win over rivals Tottenham.

"Mason’s performance, I hope that gets digested properly afterwards," the boss said (via Metro). "A lot of people talk about Mason and his goals but his work rate and his sharpness in his game today was unbelievable."

Mount has held off competition from Ross Barkley, Jorginho, Mateo Kovačić and N'Golo Kanté to start 25 of Chelsea's 29 league games this season, featuring as both a central midfielder and a winger.

His versatility has been key for Chelsea, who have been plagued by injuries all season, and Messi clearly expects Mount's influence to grow as his career goes on.

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Source : 90min