19-year-old Monaco gem shining in Ligue 1 names three former Barcelona players as his idols | OneFootball

After the pre-season tour of the USA, Hansi Flick’s first test ahead of the 2024-25 season came in the Joan Gamper Trophy final when FC Barcelona faced the Ligue 1 side AS Monaco.

To the surprise of most Blaugrana fans, the visitors came out as 3-0 victors in that game. The Catalans clearly struggled to deal with the threat posed by Monaco’s wingers, one of them being the 19-year-old Eliesse Ben Seghir, who remained on the pitch for 77 minutes and impressed throughout this time.

However, that night was not a one-off event for him, as the youngster is an important part of the French side, with whom he has already scored 7 goals and provided 4 assists in 28 appearances this season.

These performances and his youth have made him a particularly attractive option in the European market, and several teams have their sights set on him. However, as SPORT has reported, the winger might have some special affection for Barcelona as he shared some anecdotes from his life that involve the Catalan club.

Sharing one such anecdote, the Monaco forward said: “My first trip ever was to Spain, to Barcelona. I was so happy. We visited Camp Nou, the training center, and I stood in front doing ‘dabs’ while my brother filmed me.”

Similarly, he named three former Barcelona players as his idols: “In football, my role model would be Neymar. I really like his freedom, and his style of play. All young players love Neymar and see themselves in him. He’s the idol of many young people.

“There’s also Messi. What he does on the field is incredible. He has the ability to take out an entire team and score a goal to help his team win. Not everyone can do that. I’ve also always appreciated Ousmane Dembélé for his mindset. He doesn’t worry; he just has fun. I like that mentality.”

Although it is not really unusual for any young player to have Messi and Neymar as his idols, the Catalan fans can get excited about his comments as he is a highly promising player, and even though he is not linked with Barcelona at the moment, his affection for the Catalan club can make him join them at some point in the future.