Sometimes it's difficult to look past the present at a club like Paris Saint-Germain, but the future for the Ligue 1 giants could very well lie with Xavi Simons.
Yes, Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe are the current crop of attackers that garner many of the headlines and score the big goals across various competitions, but at some point the Parisians will be tasked with finding their next star.
Luckily for French side, that player could already be involved at the club.
Simons grew up in Amsterdam, a city synonymous with success on the football pitch, most notably because of the development of Ajax for decades.
However, Simons' talent was recognized at a young age and he never made it to any of the top Dutch sides. Instead, he was scooped up by Barcelona at the age of seven.
After spending nearly a decade involved with the Blaugrana's youth sides, Simons was sought after by PSG and that led to his next chapter in France.
Simons is the son of former professional player Regillio, who spent nearly a decade serving as a striker across the Eredivisie.
It certainly wasn't an easy decision for Xavi to leave Barcelona, especially with the incredible amount of youth talent to come through La Masia and later make an impact on the pitch for the senior side.
At PSG, Simons has a more distinct path though with a club that continually looks for ways to expand its presence not only throughout French football but across the European landscape.
Simons is typically deployed as an attacking midfielder, but the young Dutchman has the versatility to play various positions in the midfield.
The 18 year old made his professional debut for the Parisians over a year ago when he came on for Julian Draxler in a Coupe de France win against Caen.
Simons has an elegance about his play style that is very reminiscent of other Dutch players of the past and present.
He's very technical on the ball, but also very intelligent when it comes to distributing and creating chances for his teammates.
Given the way PSG's season has transpired, it should be a time where the club is looking towards Simons and other young players to formulate a plan towards the future.
However, Simons will be out of contract in June and that could mean clubs across Europe will be looking to bring in the Dutchman.
With the World Cup around the corner, Simons likely won't feature for the Netherlands this time, but that doesn't mean the bright talent won't do so in the future.
Perhaps a move away from PSG will do the midfielder some good as he aims to secure regular minutes.
From afar, the talent is absolutely present, but the right opportunity needs to present itself for Simons to take that next step as one of the sport's promising up-and-coming players.
