Coming from the La Masia training center,
Lamine Yamal is the youngest player in the history of FC Barcelona to have made his professional debut in La Liga and to win the national title. The Spanish international is also the youngest goalscorer in the history of La Liga (16 years and 87 days). His precocity is reminiscent of that of a certain
Lionel Messi.
Despite these common points, Barça’s number 19 does not want to cultivate any resemblance with the Argentinian. “I’m someone who doesn’t like to relax and rest on my laurels. I like it to be more difficult. I prefer to have a legacy, to build a career. If people compare me to Leo Messi, it’s best not to pay attention to it, but it doesn’t bother me. If they compare you to the best player in history, it’s because you’re doing something right,” he declared in the columns of France Football.
Yamal/Messi, a comparison not always beneficial
Last March, Javier Aguirre compared Lamine Yamel to Lionel Messi, following a match between Mallorca, the club he was coaching at the time, and FC Barcelona. During that encounter, the Esplugues de Llobregat native infiltrated the area, before switching to his left foot and curling his shot into the far corner.
“This comparison is not beneficial for him because he is totally different, ” reacted the Barça coach at the time, Xavi. All the players who have been compared to Messi have ended up losing. It’s not good to compare him to Messi.”
