Lionel Messi has publicly shown his appreciation for Liverpool’s young sensation, Rio Ngumoha, in a new social media video that highlights football’s brightest emerging talents.
The Argentine icon and Barcelona legend teamed up with Adidas Football for the campaign, where he revealed a list of 10 promising stars shaping the future of the game. In the video, Messi is seen shuffling a deck of cards before laying them out to unveil several standout young midfielders — including Ngumoha, Andrey Santos, Kendry Páez, and Nico Paz.
The clip was captioned, “Every card counts. The perfect 10. This is Messi +10,” accompanied by a voiceover that narrates: “The perfect 10. It starts with a shuffle, a few tricks, a slide of hand — nothing left to chance. Every card is considered. A true maestro knows how to pick them. The perfect 10 — that’s how you choose the future of the game.”
Ngumoha later shared his excitement on social media, posting an image of his personalized “Messi +10” card to celebrate the recognition.
At just 17, the Liverpool midfielder has already made a strong impression this season. He announced himself with a dramatic injury-time winner in Liverpool’s 3-2 triumph over Newcastle United and was soon rewarded with his first professional contract at Anfield.
Ngumoha, who joined the Reds from Chelsea in the summer of 2024, made his senior debut in the FA Cup victory over Accrington and has since featured in five more first-team matches — underlining his growing influence in Jürgen Klopp’s next generation of stars
