Is Lamine Yamal already on top of the world?

The Guardian

01-05-2025

In a world of hyperbole, recency bias and superlatives that are more exhausted than Casemiro on a counterattack, it is still not a stretch to call Lamine Yamal the best male footballer on the planet. Some particularly cantankerous individuals in Madrid might object to that, and while their annual boycott of Football Daily's Bank Holiday Barbecue continues to be a point of consternation across the footballing world, there is no denying that the Barcelona boy is bit special. We say boy, because that is legally what he is. Akin to mentioning Frank Lampard whenever anyone talks about Coventry City or helicopter rides whenever brings up Michael Owen, we are contractually obliged to remind you of Lamine Yamal's age whenever we write about him. HE IS JUST 17, FOLKS.
While most of us were nervously hovering outside a Londis asking passing adults to buy us Tin at that age, Lamine Yamal once again produced a performance for the ages on almost the biggest of stages – Barcelona's Bigger Cup semi-final first leg with Inter – in which he rescued his side from almost certain defeat (after they went 2-0 and 3-2 down) with an outrageous exhibition of wingplay: one magnificent solo goal, a dizzying array of testing crosses and probing passes, one dummy to set up Barça's third goal and enough shimmies to set up a window-cleaning business. And in his 100th first-team appearance, he did it all with a shrug and a wink as if to say: 'Yep, I know, not bad, huh?' We have less composure at a self-service checkout.
Lamine Yamal was also twice denied by the crossbar to leave the tie tantalisingly poised at 3-3. A euro for the thoughts of Federico Dimarco, Inter's beleaguered left wing-back, who was hooked shortly after half-time and will be facing something of an existential crisis before next week's second leg at San Siro. 'We could even have won this game against a team who have a player who is difficult to stop,' sobbed Inter head coach Simone Inzaghi afterwards. 'We started well, but [Lamine Yamal] created a lot of problems. He is a player I had not seen live before. We had to double up on him. We managed it better in the second half and could even have won. Lamine Yamal is a phenomenon born every 50 years. He really impressed me today.'
The praise kept coming. 'A genius,' roared Hansi Flick, Barcelona's manager. 'This guy is incredible,' scribbled Erling Haaland on his Social Media Disgraces. The best 17-year-old since Pelé in 1958, parped … um … Football Daily. Some canny observers have compared Lamine Yamal to another prominent left-footed Barcelona right winger of yesteryear – some bloke named Lionel Messi – but the man boy himself isn't having any of that. 'I try to forge my own path,' Lamine Yamal told TNT Sports, already media-trained to within an inch of his life. 'I think that's the trick, that's the secret, to try to do my best and not compare myself with anyone. I'm following my path, giving my all, and it's been working out for me so far, but I still haven't achieved anything,' continued the Spaniard, forgetting the Euro 2024 winners' medal already stashed in his trophy cabinet. Let's hope he has room for a few more.
Join Scott Murray from 8pm BST for hot Bigger Vase semi-final minute-by-minute coverage of Athletic Club 2-1 Manchester United, while Simon Burnton will be on deck at the same time for Tottenham 2-1 Bodø/Glimt. There's also Premier League action (!) and Will Unwin will be your guide to Nottingham Forest 1-1 Brentford at 7.30pm.
'Yes, I'm listening sometimes, I've heard some noise that perhaps it's 'too easy' for Chelsea – that's not easy, to beat two times Manchester City, two times Arsenal and two times [Manchester] United. That's unbelievable. It's a lot of work every day. I never let my players breathe. I know, the last few weeks, it was difficult for them. That's the mentality you need when you want to be one of the best' – Sonia Bompastor bigs up her Chelsea team after they secured a sixth consecutive WSL crown by winning 1-0 at Manchester United, with Arsenal earlier getting gubbed 5-2 by Aston Villa. While we're here, Tom Garry dissects this latest title, while Sophie Downey has player ratings for the champs.
It's easy to mock Ange Postecoglou as Spurs have had a difficult season and are 16th in the Premier League (scroll down). But at least he's in the semi-finals of Bigger Vase and all he has to do to get to the final is beat a small Norwegian team whose stadium only has a capacity of 8,270 over two legs. Surely he can do that can't he? Oh … and double oh' – Noble Francis.
I can't help thinking your reference to John Terry (yesterday's Football Daily) is a little out of date. Especially when you could instead refer to Riqui Puig who knacked his ACL in the semi of last year's MLS Cup and had to watch from the sidelines (in a very nice suit) as LA Galaxy won it all. That didn't stop him from donning a full kit for their trophy presentation, in a move he surely picked up watching the 2012 Big Cup final' – Tom Dowler.
Everton have previous when it comes to local naming-based b@nter (yesterday's Football Daily letters). My time as a student in Liverpool coincided with the opening of a sparkly new shopping centre, Liverpool One. The Toffees duly opened a megastore in it called Everton Two' – Isaac Proud.
Send letters to [e-mail]. Today's prizeless letter o' the day winner is … Isaac Proud. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, can be viewed here.
Another normal day in Brazil after incendiary reports surfaced that the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) is considering introducing a crimson red jersey for the men's national side at the 2026 World Cup. The idea has proved so controversial that the CBF was forced to deny it, insisting online images of the red shirt were not official and that it remained committed to yellow and blue shirts. The potential move has caused predictable outrage from almost everyone in the country, from right-wing politicians such as Romeu Zema – 'our team's shirt will never be red … and neither will our country!' – to left-leaning football writers like Juca Kfouri. 'Red doesn't have anything to do with Brazil,' Kfouri said, conveniently forgetting a certain 2014 bloodbath and the subsequent colour of all Brazilian faces, although the writer noted that Brazil did take its name from a redwood tree called pau-brasil (brazilwood in English) and, in the early 19th century, had red in its first flag.
The FA has announced that it will ban transgender women from playing in English women's football from 1 June. It follows a ruling from the supreme court that the term 'woman' in the Equality Act refers only to a biological woman.
Pep Guardiola has addressed Manchester City fans' disgruntlement with the club's ticketing policy. 'If I can help, I will help, definitely. I'm part of this club, from the bottom to the top,' he pre-caveated. 'But I'm the manager, I do what I have to do to try to make the team play as best as possible. That's all I can do.'
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca is a bit worried at having to play on a plastic pitch in their Tin Pot first leg at Djurgården. 'It's completely different,' he sighed. 'I know that in the last weeks even some of their players were complaining about the pitch. They play every week, so for us it's a different one. But there are no excuses, no reasons why we are not going to compete.'
The new manager of Qatar is … Julen Lopetegui.
Harry Redknapp says his description of England's head coach, Thomas Tuchel, as a 'German spy' was a 'joke that badly backfired'. Oh aye.
And Manuel Cáceres Artesero, AKA iconic Spain fan and drummer Manolo, has died at the age of 76.
Football Weekly Extra picks over the latest action, from Barcelona v Inter to more ludicrous non-league drama.
Eni Aluko, Ian Wright and a discussion on punditry that took a wrong turn. Read an extract from the latest edition of our sister email, Moving the Goalposts, courtesy of Suzanne Wrack.
Regular League Two watchers may recall the rancour that surrounded Bristol Rovers' dramatic final-day promotion in 2022. The Pirates went into the final day level on points with Northampton, whose goal difference – superior by five – put them in the final automatic promotion place. But against a relegated Firewall FC side fielding seven teenagers in their starting XI, Rovers went on a late goal spree to snatch promotion with a 7-0 shellacking, rendering Northampton's 3-1 win at Barrow insufficient via goals scored. The Cobblers duly got a right funk on, complaining that FFC had breached the rules by selecting such a weakened team. All to no avail: Joey Barton's side went up, Northampton stayed down and fumed (though they won promotion a year later). The bad blood evidently lingered though, such that Northampton's Social Media Abomination TwiXer account couldn't but help pass comment when Rovers' relegation to the fourth tier was confirmed on Tuesday.
'It's feeling, culture, belonging. For the people and for us, Athletic is a religion.' Iñaki Williams on the mood in Bilbao going into their Bigger Vase semi-final against Manchester United.
Talking of English clubs' Bigger Vase opponents, Nick Ames deep-dives into the rise of Bodø/Glimt, a source of regional pride in Norway built on community and humility as they prepare to face Spurs.
But who will win these ties? Ben McAleer has some predictions.
Staying in Scandinavia, Marcus Christenson takes joy in giving us the lowdown on Djurgården as they take on face Chelsea in Tin Pot.
Roll up, roll up for John Brewin's Bigger Cup review.
Continental cup exits for Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo – on the same day – suggest the game is moving on from them, writes Alexander Abnos.
And is it ever OK to wear another club's shirt? Emma John dons her Liverpool top – and tin hat.
To April 1968, when Liverpool's seaside retreat to a Blackpool hotel was supposed to be a secret … not that these young fans were put off. They peek through the window as Tony Hateley and Emlyn Hughes play snooker.