A former Barcelona wonderkid who was referred to as “better than Lionel Messi” has had a career path that has been less than ideal.
Messi rose to prominence after starting out at Barcelona’s La Masia academy, which is widely regarded as one of the best in the world.
Since then, the Argentine has solidified his position as one of the greatest players in the history of football by accumulating a number of trophies throughout his illustrious career.
Messi is also the recipient of eight Ballon d’Or awards, and he led Argentina to victory at the United Nations World Cup in 2020.
One cannot say the same thing about Cristian Ceballos, despite the fact that Messi was one of many talented players who went on to accomplish great things in their careers.
Back in 2004, when the Spaniard was only 11 years old, he enrolled in the La Masia academy. When he was 14 years old, he became a YouTube sensation by appearing in a video alongside the legendary Soccer player Ronaldinho of Barcelona.
The winner of the Ballon d’Or in 2005 entertained a number of potential players from the Barcelona academy by demonstrating their abilities. He did not hesitate to perform a variety of tricks and puzzles.
However, Ceballos was the one who left the most significant impression. A number of moves were performed by the young man, who had previously played for Racing Santander. One of the moves that he performed was juggling the ball on his head while simultaneously removing his shirt.
In spite of the fact that Ceballos had previously played alongside Sergi Roberto and Gerard Deulofeu, he was considered to be more talented than Messi and someone who had the potential to accomplish great things in his career. However, due to his persistent injuries, Barca decided to release him from their roster.
He was subsequently acquired by Spurs in 2011, with Harry Redknapp being the one who provided Ceballos with the opportunity.
The forward was fantastic for the reserve team, and at one point he scored ten goals in thirteen appearances. After that, he was loaned out to the Portuguese club Arouca, where he made his debut in the professional league.
However, he was never selected for the Spurs first-team roster and was eventually let go at the conclusion of the 2014–2015 season. He was only ever on the substitutes bench.
“When I was eighteen years old, I signed a contract with Tottenham that was for four years. According to what he said to Het Belang van Limburg in 2016, “Harry Redknapp recognised my abilities.”
I had the opportunity to train alongside superstars such as Gareth Bale. However, when Andre Villas-Boas was in charge, I found myself trembling heavily. The Portuguese team Arouca took me on as a loan player.
During the previous season, Charlton arrived with a three-year contract; however, due to an injury, I was unable to continue playing for him.
Why was it that I was never able to break through at either Barcelona or Tottenham? It’s possible that in the past I didn’t always make the best decisions. And you are going to need some luck. So, I hope you have success.”
After spending time with Sint-Truiden in Belgium and Al Wakrah and Qatar SC in Qatar, Ceballos eventually found himself playing for Charlton Athletic in League One. He then went on to play for Qatar SC and Al Wakrah.
Following his time spent playing for Sabah in the Azerbaijan league from 2021 to 2024, he is currently without a club to call his own.
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