Is it finally happening? Is Brahim Diaz belatedly becoming a star? The Gazzetta dello Sport recently labelled him AC Milan's most improved player since the turn of the year, and it's easy to understand why.
There have been a succession of big performances in big games and, at 23, Diaz looks like finally fulfilling his enormous potential. Remember, they were calling him 'The Messi of Malaga' before he had even turned 13.
By that stage, Pep Guardiola had already tried to bring him to Barcelona, going so far as to give the youngster a tour of Camp Nou alongside the actual Lionel Messi. The Blaugrana later agreed a deal with Diaz's father, Sufiel Abdelkader, but Malaga managed to hold onto their most prized protege with the promise of senior football by the age of 16.
However, the Andalusians efforts ultimately proved in vain...