Xavi Simons was a Chelsea target by 12 years old but his ‘lack of progression’ upset Lionel Messi, now PSV star is fourth teen to play in World Cup for the Netherlands

Xavi Simons is the same age as Jude Bellingham, Jamal Musiala and Pedri but it seems like he's been around for ever.

The 19-year-old has long been touted as one of football’s next stars and is now finally living up to the hype at PSV Eindhoven and at the World Cup with the Netherlands.

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Simons faced the weight of expectation after exploding onto the scene at Barcelona, having honed his skills at the club's famed La Masia academy from the age of seven.

But incredibly, the affectionately dubbed 'Golden Curls', was spotted even earlier by Barca's LaLiga rivals Villarreal.

Simons was just three years old when his father Regillio Simons finished his playing career at Dutch team TOP Oss before the family moved to Spain from Amsterdam.

"[Xavi] joined the system at Villarreal,' Simons Sr told . "They were very happy with his progress and wanted him in the academy system but he was aged six and already playing with their Under-9s.

"I thought it was too early for that. I didn't want him playing in the Under-9s at six, so I said no. It was a week later when Barcelona called and wanted him to go for a trial."

Simons Jr. continued to excel at Barcelona, who considered him the biggest academy talent prospect since Lionel Messi.

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Chelsea were among the clubs who tried to poach his services when he was just 12, but his father was keen for him to stay in Spain.

Regillio added: "We have spoken to Chelsea and you know it's going to be good money at Chelsea.

"Agents approach me to say they are working for English clubs or Spanish clubs. It can't touch me. I'm not someone who will be starry-eyed.

"Barcelona is already a big club and it brings him some kind of pressure and he is handling it well. That's good for me."

It was no surprise Simons' family were keen for him to continue at the Nou Camp, having named the midfielder after icon Xavi Hernandez.

The now-Barcelona manager was a player at the club when his younger namesake had began to generate some buzz online.

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And Xavi once recalled the day the two crossed paths, saying: "I was with the physio when Xavi [Hernandez] came over.

“When I told him that my name was also Xavi, he laughed. It was funny. He’s my idol.

"I know it’s difficult but I will do everything to make it.”

Unfortunately, Simons wasn't to emulate him at Barcelona and he ended up signing his first professional contract at Paris Saint-Germain in 2019 without making his senior bow in Catalonia.

He explained: "Everyone dreams of playing with Messi, but sometimes there is another way.

"I decided to try another adventure - and I think that this is good for my development."

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Little did Simons know but Messi would end up following him to PSG at the Parc des Princes two years later.

However, their reunion didn't work out as planned with Messi reportedly advising Barca boss Xavi not to re-sign Simons this summer.

The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner was said to believe the Dutchman has not progressed enough, according to .

The hype around Simons meant he boasted two million followers on Instagram before he even made his professional debut.

But after some early promise at PSG he fell out of favour under Mauricio Pochettino and made just 11 appearances in three years.

His tenure in Paris was marked by a penalty miss in a shock shootout defeat to Nice in the last 16 of the Coupe de France.

And with his PSG contract coming to an end at the start of the summer, Simons decided to rebuild his career back home.

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The 5'7 star signed for PSV and has since flourished with no player under the age of 21 across Europe’s top six leagues bettering his 14 goal involvements (10 goals and four assists) so far this season.

His manager Ruud Van Nistelrooy revealed: "His mentality, his mindset, it’s unprecedented.

"It’s a boy of only nineteen, but Xavi is already much further advanced than his age.

"But he really is a pure professional, a boy who is working towards a goal, who wants to get the most out of his qualities."

Louis van Gaal's choice to call the uncapped teen up to the Holland squad for the World Cup looks to have been the right one, too.

Although he didn't come off the bench in the Netherlands' group games, he held his own when he came on in the last-16 tie against the USA amongst an experienced side.

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Despite being on the pitch for just seven minutes, Simons helped fuel a counter-attack with his side already 3-1 up, but Teun Koopmeiners' mishit pass snuffed it out.

Simon's introduction in Qatar makes him the fourth teenager to ever represent the Netherlands at a World Cup.

and could be inclined to exercise it now that he has finally come of age.

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But should Simons be given another chance to show off what he can do against Argentina in the quarter-finals, he may not want to go back to the club who snubbed him just under six months ago.

When the teen's agent was asked last month about potentially returning to Paris, she said: "Who knows? We will see — I’m not gonna answer.”