The Barcelona winger is already doing things in the professional game that demand comparison with Lionel Messi and Pele
Lamine Yamal has always looked up to Lionel Messi. The Barcelona legend was – and remains – his one and only idol. "I never had another," Yamal admitted to . "I once took a photo with him. I was unknown."
He wasn't just unknown, though; he was still only a baby, just a few weeks old when he and his mother partook in a 2007 photoshoot organised by for a charity calendar. But that image of a 20-year-old Messi bathing an infant Yamal has already assumed iconic status. The symbolism is almost too perfect: it's as if Messi is anointing his heir, baptising Barca’s next messiah.
Flattering as he finds the comparisons with the GOAT, the humble Yamal is unsurprisingly reluctant to fully embrace them. The 17-year-old says that "reaching Messi's level is impossible" but nonetheless hopes that "maybe one day I will be like him".
He already is, though. He plays in the same position for the same club with which Messi made his name immortal, and is presently wowing fans all across the world with similarly devastating dribbling skills and wondrous collection of crosses.
There's arguably only one significant difference: Yamal is even better than Messi was at the same age. In fact, the NXGN 2025winner might just be the most talented teenager the sport has ever seen…
Putting Rabiot in his place
Yamal was still only 16 when he was named in Spain's squad for Euro 2024. He even had to bring homework with him to Germany – and yet it was the student who ended up schooling established senior stars on one of the game's grandest stages.
In the run-up to France's semi-final showdown with Spain, midfielder Adrien Rabiot made the dreadful mistake of underestimating Yamal. "If Lamine Yamal wants to play in the Euros final with Spain, he will have to do much more against us than he has done so far," the Bleus midfielder warned in a pre-match press conference. "We will put pressure on him so that he is not comfortable."
Rabiot didn't put any pressure on Yamal, though. On the contrary, he couldn't even get close to the teenager, sent one way, then the other, as Yamal swiftly shifted the ball onto his left foot before bending into the top corner of the France goal to cancel out Randal Kolo Muani's early opener as Spain came from behind to triumph 2-1 at the Allianz Arena.
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When the full-time whistle blew in Munich, Yamal screamed into the camera, "Speak now!". Rabiot didn't, though, which was probably for the best. There was no need to embarrass himself any further. He'd just been taught a lesson by a kid that wouldn't turn 17 until the eve of the final.
The following day, Yamal made more history, breaking Pele's record as the youngest player ever to appear in a World Cup or European Championship final.
He created a goal in Berlin, too, setting up Nico Williams for Spain's opener in their 2-1 victory over England, meaning he ended the Euros with four assists – twice as many as any other player at a tournament that featured world-class playmakers such as Kevin De Bruyne and Bruno Fernandes – which is frankly farcical for one so young.
What was arguably even more impressive, though, was that he finished with 15 or more chances created (19 in total), shots on goal (18) and dribbles attempted (33). The only other player to do that at any of the last two Euros or World Cups? Messi, of course.
'Something very, very special'
Plenty of players over the past decade have been hailed as 'The new Messi' – and each and every one of them has found the label far too heavy a burden to bear. Some were simply overhyped, others just couldn't cope with the weight of expectancy, while Ansu Fati, for example, has had the gross misfortune to be blighted by injury issues that have stalled a once-promising career.
In that context, there's always been a reluctance to pile too much pressure on Yamal's slender shoulders. As former Barcelona striker Gary Lineker told during last summer's Euros, "Messi is from another planet and I don't think you want to put that [comparison] on him, but there's no question that if Lamine keeps his feet on the ground and doesn’t have serious injuries, he is going to be very special indeed.
"He already is, of course: if you judge the players at [the Euros] and age has nothing to do with it, he would be top three or four. And at 16! He's still a child! I've not seen anything like this.
“I remember the emergence of Wayne Rooney. You could tell he was special but even he didn’t do this. Pele scored two in a World Cup final but he was 17, nearly 18. Even Messi didn’t really emerge internationally until his late teens.
“What we’re seeing here is something very, very special. How special, we will have to wait and see. To do what he is doing, I can’t quite get my head around it. Some kids live up to the expectations, a lot don't. But with this kind of talent, I would be surprised if we don’t see some kind of greatness."
We've certainly seen nothing since the Euros to challenge that assertion. In truth, Yamal's performances during the 2024-25 campaign have made the Messi comparisons utterly unavoidable.
'Essential to look after him'
There obviously remains a risk that Yamal will fail to realise his stratospheric potential. Fame and fortune can change players, no matter how well supported they are by a club, coaches, family and friends.
"It's essential to look after him because he's still a kid, he's talked about a lot in the press and he knows he’s important," Barcelona legend Rivaldo pointed out in an interview with . "He has to be very intelligent because football changes you a lot. He must have people by his side who talk to him and help him in his career so that he can be the best in the world."
Furthermore, when the goals are so lofty, and the targets set so high, the lows can be devastating, especially in a modern era characterised by kneejerk reactions and social media pile-ons. It's already abundantly clear that Yamal will now be judged by the most rigorous of standards, with the great Francesco Totti arguing earlier this season that the youngster doesn't score enough goals.
"He is very strong, he flew at the Euros… And he seemed to be flying this season, but then he dropped a bit,” the World Cup winner told the podcast. “He is still very good, but he still scores very few goals."
