At 27, Mount may be at his peak, but there is consensus that he was far more influential in his early days at Chelsea. He broke into the Blues’ first team in 2019 and has enjoyed a meteoric rise. Mount’s performance was widely praised, including by eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi. The Argentine, who has continued to perform well in the current World Cup, was asked in a 2020 Topps interview to name 15 emerging talents that he sees as the next wave of world-class players.
Messi has launched a collection of Champions League player cards for Topps called the “Developing Youth” category. Among them was Mount, who made his Champions League debut a few months ago.
The Barcelona hero paid the then-youngster the ultimate compliment: “Watching him play, he has the potential to be one of the best.”
The outpouring of support left Mount speechless, and he later admitted that he initially doubted the authenticity of the quote. He said, “When you see something like that and read something like that, it motivates you to want to get better and better. Hopefully, you can do that.”
For a time, it looked like Messi’s prophecy might come true. Mount made 53 appearances during Frank Lampard’s breakthrough period, finding the back of the net eight times.
The following season, under current England manager Tuchel, he played 54 games and scored nine goals, helping Chelsea win the Champions League for the second time in the club’s history.
Mount continued to play a key role in his third season. However, after Chelsea were taken over by Bruco, the midfielder’s playing time decreased significantly and he decided to join rivals United in July 2023, ending his 18-year contract with the West Londoners.
Since arriving at Old Trafford, Mount’s career has been hampered by injury problems. He has only made 54 appearances in the Premier League over three seasons, and a lack of appearances has prevented him from establishing himself as a regular starter or becoming an integral part.
As such, Mount’s most recent call-up to the England squad came in March 2023, when he was still at Chelsea. Neither Gareth Southgate nor his successor, Tuchel, have judged his performances since then to be enough to earn him a 37th cap.
This means Mount will miss both Euro 2024 and World Cup 2026. Unfortunately for the player and his country, Messi’s comments are now seen as one of the rare cases of an Argentine player failing.
