The Inter Miami captain was asked which member of a talented new generation reminds him most of himself.
Lionel Messi's busy off-season schedule took him to Germany this week to visit Adidas' headquarters in Herzogenaurach. Despite the sheer number of media requests the Inter Miami captain receives, it is quite rare to hear him speak openly about football.
However, in Germany he appeared at a press conference and gave some interesting answers. Nigerian artist Goke Oyewo asked Messi which new generation player reminded him of his younger self.
“There is a very good generation of young footballers who still have many years ahead of them,” Messi replied. “If I have to choose someone, because of his age and because of the future he has, I have heard that many have chosen Lamine Yamal and without a doubt [it’s him] also for me.”
“I agree that it depends on him and many things because that's how football is, but he is the present and without a doubt he has a great future.”
How does Lamine Yamal compare to Lionel Messi?
Messi is not alone in that opinion and 17-year-old Yamal is already recognized as one of the best players in the world. After a great season with Barcelona and Spain, most notably helping the national team win the European Championship, Yamal finished eighth in the Ballon d'Or rankings.
This season, the La Masia graduate continues where he left off, with five goals and ten assists in fifteen league appearances for La Blaugrana. Yamal was already a regular with the national team and had played seventeen times for Spain by the age of seventeen. In contrast, Messi was 18 when he received his first international call-up for Argentina.
At this young age, Lamine Yamal is ahead of Lionel Messi, but this exciting start can't necessarily be extrapolated into a stellar 20-year career. For example, Yamal is significantly taller than Messi, making him better suited to starting professional football at a younger age.
For all his talent, comparisons between Yamal and Messi mean little at this early stage. But just as a young Lionel Messi faced the pressure of being the 'New Maradona', Lamine Yamal may have to shoulder the burden of the 'New Messi' title.
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