Hugo Rodallega cemented himself as a Premier League cult hero with his spell at Wigan Athletic - but being compared to Lionel Messi?. It seems inexplicable that the two were once mentioned in the same breath after their very different careers. But rewind nearly two decades and that was actually the case. It was the South American U20 Championship and all the talk in the build-up was about Barcelona's emerging talent Messi, who was expected to take the tournament by storm. But Rodallega instead finished as top scorer with 11 goals, firing Colombia to the trophy.
It was then that he was said to have claimed he was better than Argentina's rising star. That comment followed the striker throughout his journeyman career through Mexico, England, Turkey and Brazil. However, he puts it down to being misquoted, explaining the reality of the situation to Diario AS in 2023. “I’m not better than Messi. I’m not better than anyone," Rodallega said. "That day the journalist asked: 'Do you think you are the best in the tournament?' And I said to him: 'I don't think I am the best in the tournament, but we are first with Colombia, I am a goalscorer and I feel very good. No, I am the best in the tournament, but I don't think I am better than Messi'.".
He also revealed that he later clarified the issue with Messi himself, such was the magnitude of the situation. Rodallega added: "I spoke to him, I spoke to [Pablo] Zabaleta years later, when we were in England, Zabaleta was at Manchester City and when we faced each other we stayed talking, he asked me and we talked about it. "I also spoke to Messi in Holland and it was clear that it never happened, but nothing. Messi asked me the same thing and then he told me, 'don't pay attention to the press, they're idiots'.".
While Messi went on to blossom into one of the greatest talents in football history, Rodallega forged a successful career, albeit one that pales in comparison. His goal-every-other-game ratio for Liga MX side Necaxa caught the eye of Wigan, who paid a £4.5million fee for him in January 2009. He swiftly became what is now hailed as a 'Barclaysman', a cult hero who was at their peak between the mid-to-late noughties and early 2010s. His goals, including the winner in a 1-0 victory away at Stoke City on the final day of the 2010/11 season, were vital to preserving the Latics' Premier League status.
Rodallega left for Fulham at the end of his contract in the summer of 2012, failing to have as big an impact in the capital. As is the case for many ageing players looking for a route out of England, he headed to Turkey and enjoyed three more prolific spells. And now aged 39, Rodallega is still firing in the goals back in his home country. He registered 18 as well as eight assists in 48 appearances for Santa Fe in the Colombian top flight last year and remains a 90-minute man.
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