He was going to be the next Messi, left Liverpool without playing and now no one remembers him

Signing a young player always involves some risk, as many of them never reach the potential that the club that signs them thinks they can have. If we add to that the fact that the young player is being compared to one of the greatest legends in the history of the sport, Lionel Messi, the expectations become much greater and so does the pressure on the player in question.

In 2007, when Rafa Benítez was the club's manager, the Anfield board signed a 16-year-old from Real Madrid, whom the Spanish and Argentine press labeled as "the new Messi", as he had shown good conditions in the Spanish team's youth academy.

However, Gerardo Bruna had a difficult time at Liverpool, because although Benítez considered him a great talent and even thought he had the potential to become the team's next big star, Bruna was never able to make his debut with the first team, because at 16 years of age he had to compete for the position with players like Steven Gerrard, Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano, and although he did train with the main team, he never managed to make his debut.

Gerardo Bruna himself explained in 2020 that for him arriving at Liverpool was a very hard process and he never managed to adapt to English football, in addition to the cultural and language barrier that were always an obstacle for him, and although in 2007 he was ranked number 10 in the list of the 50 most exciting young players, his career did not end up being what it was projected to be in those years.

Does Gerardo Bruna regret signing for Liverpool?

Despite his failed attempt to shine and establish himself at Liverpool, Gerardo Bruna has said that he has no regrets about making the decision to come to Anfield. "Real Madrid really looked after me, but Liverpool really wanted me and sometimes decisions go right, and sometimes they go wrong, I have no regrets." he said in 2020. "It was really difficult to get into that team - unbelievable players, world-class players everywhere, but it was an incredible experience."