Everyone's hopes were really high when Barcelona loaned Yusuf Demir, dubbed 'the Austrian Messi', from Rapid Vienna back in 2021.
The first signs were very positive, as the youngster impressed Ronald Koeman during pre-season and won a place in the first team despite being originally signed for Barca Atletic.
By the end of the summer, it was widely expected that Barca would pay €10m to make Demir's move permanent. As part of the agreement with Rapid, this clause would be automatically triggered once Yusuf played 10 games for the senior side.
However, as the season progressed, it became evident that Demir made the jump to the first team too soon. In November, Xavi replaced Koeman, and the new manager made it clear that the 'Austrian Messi' wasn't a key player for him.
Thus, in January, one game short of having to pay €10m for the youngster, Barca cut his loan short and Yusuf returned to Austria.
How has Demir been doing since then? Well, not that good.
The winger would go on to feature semi-regularly for Rapid until the end of the 2021/22 season, playing 14 games and scoring one goal.
That did secure him a €6m transfer to Galatasaray last summer but his stint in Turkey has been marred by injuries. Demir has missed 15 games due to various injuries and has only featured for 129 minutes across 7 games for Galata.
Despite that, there’s belief in the player. A Turkish reporter Nevzat Dindar has recently said that Demir is the future of Galatasaray, it’s just that the competition is too high at the moment.
More importantly, perhaps, is that Galatasaray fans believe in the 19-year-old. "My brother Yusuf, be patient, do not be offended by Okan [the head coach], one day you will be indispensable in this team," writes one fan on Demir’s Instagram page.
Another writes: "You will be a staple in this team. A little more effort and patience. We are all aware of your abilities."
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