When Gai Assulin’s mentor and idol reunite at the Etihad Stadium today as Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain meet in the Champions League, the man himself will be 10 miles away playing five-a-side with friends. The 30-year-old began his career under Pep Guardiola at Barcelona, earning the nickname the “Israeli Messi”, but finds himself without a club.
Liverpool’s Thiago Alcântara has described d Assulin as “the most talented player I’ve ever seen in La Masia”, the winger impressing in the B team as he helped Guardiola win his first title and the chance to replace Frank Rijkaard as head coach. Assulin was rewarded with a debut under Guardiola in the Copa del Rey but he did not make another first-team appearance before moving on a free transfer in 2010 to City, where he did not get a look in under Roberto Mancini, who had little interest in the club’s youngsters. The early pressure of being synonymous with Lionel Messi was not a tag Assulin particularly enjoyed as he looked to come out of the Argentinian’s shadow.
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