Lamine Yamal rejects Lionel Messi comparisons: ‘Going to enjoy myself and be myself'
After playing a crucial role in Spain's triumph at Euro 2024, 17-year-old winger Lamine Yamal has become a mainstay in the Barcelona squad that remains in contention to do the European treble – winning the domestic league and cup titles alongside the UEFA Champions League – at the end of this season.
The temptation to make comparisons to club legend Lionel Messi have persisted through Catalonia and the rest of the world, but any equivalence with the Argentine forward, whom Yamal describes as 'the best player in history,' remain farfetched according to the teenager.
Yamal has 14 goals and 24 assists to his name this season in all competitions and had another brilliant outing in his side's 3-2 win in extra time over arch-rivals Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey Final on Sunday. Speaking ahead of the first leg of his Champions League semifinal against Inter Milan, Yamal said he is not comparing himself to anyone yet.
'I don't compare myself to him, because I don't compare myself to anyone – and much less with Messi,' the teenager was quoted as saying BBC. 'I don't think the comparison makes sense, with Messi even less – I'm going to enjoy myself, and be myself.'
With his star turns over the last year and a half for both club and country, Yamal, yet to turn 18, is expected to be one of the future stars in the European game. But he hopes his rise coincides with that of his club.
'The atmosphere at the Copa del Rey final was fantastic. We went out to enjoy ourselves. I would love to experience it again,' he said, according to the club website, ahead of the match against Inter. 'We give everything as we feel the shirt because we have grown up here and we know what it means. I think that has a lot to do with it. I don't hope that it is Lamine Yamal's era, but Barca's era.'
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