Liverpool's 'mini Lionel Messi' finally got Jurgen Klopp chance before being released

It was 2021 when the name Mateusz Musialowski entered the consciousness of your typical Liverpool fan. Followers of the Under-18s side had already been getting quietly excited, but when the club account shared a clip of an excellent solo goal against Newcastle, the 'Polish Lionel Messi' started to receive a lot more clamor.

He had arrived at Liverpool a year earlier, from Polish side SMS Lodz. Within 12 months, he had signed his first professional terms, and a debut under Jurgen Klopp looked like being the next step.

But with Liverpool having just released its retained list for the summer — once again offering new terms to Adrian — we now know that Musialowski will be leaving the club. He does so having only ever made one senior appearance.

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Watching Musialowski, it's easy to understand where the Messi comparisons came from. Possessing a low center of gravity, his dribbling style is reminiscent of the former Barcelona star. But like so many others before him, the lofty comparisons have proved impossible to match.

It looked for a while as though Musialowski would never get his senior bow. He had to watch as a whole host of his peers were handed chances — in the Carabao Cup final, facing a threadbare squad, Klopp even jumped down another age group and turned to Jayden Danns, before using Lewis Koumas in the FA Cup.

But less than a month later, Musialowski would finally get his chance under Klopp. He came off the bench in a 6-1 win over Sparta Prague at Anfield in March, ending a wait of nearly four years.

Given the final 20 minutes or so, with Liverpool already 11-2 up on aggregate in the Europa League tie, Musialowski was certainly introduced in unusual circumstances. Perhaps unsurprisingly, he wasn't able to make a particular impact, but nor did he look out of place.

Still just 20, Musialowski has plenty of time to make a good career for himself, even if the Messi comparisons will never come to full fruition. But whatever happens next, he will always have that senior Liverpool appearance to his name.

Liverpool.com says: It always looked likely that Liverpool and Musialowski would part ways this summer. With so many youngsters given chances under Klopp, it's a little surprising that we didn't see him feature earlier, but it's nice that he finally got his Anfield chance.

From what he has shown in the youth sides, you'd imagine Musialowski would have options for his next steps. Everyone at Liverpool will no doubt wish him well for the future.