Since breaking on to the scene as a 15-year-old towards the back-end of the 2022-23 season, Lamine Yamal has had to deal with comparisons between himself and Lionel Messi. These have only become more frequent in the last few months, given that he has now grown to the level of being a world class player.
Lamine Yamal: "I want to leave my mark on football." @ballondor pic.twitter.com/10yuXCAI7r
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) September 5, 2024
It was inevitable that Lamine Yamal would be compared with Messi, given that they are both left-footed attackers that predominantly play/played as a right winger. He himself understands this, as he told L’Equipe (via Marca).
“The most important thing is not to notice. Being compared to the best in history means that you are doing things right. It doesn’t bother me, but I try to be me.”
Lamine Yamal also addressed the fast-track nature of his promotion to the Barcelona first team. He admitted that he wanted to be in the senior squad as soon as possible because that’s where it would be most challenging.
“I’m a boy who doesn’t like to be at a lower level because I don’t like to relax or go too far. I like it whenever it’s harder. I’d rather not play, than play everything and make it very easy.”
Barcelona have been keen to avoid the comparisons, as they understand that it only increases the pressure on Lamine Yamal. For now, he is managing incredibly well, and everyone will be hoping that continues to be the case for quite some time.
