Barcelona and Spain teenage sensation Lamine Yamal said he wants to be his own player and that comparisons with Lionel Messi are unfair since it’s impossible to reach that level.
Yamal was already on the soccer world’s radar thanks to his starring role at Barcelona at such an early age — he became the youngest scorer in LaLiga history last October — but his profile was raised even higher this summer after helping Spain to the title at the 2024 European Championship.
Besides being a breakout star at the tournament in Germany, he also set a new mark for the youngest player ever to feature at a Euro when he took the field against Croatia in the group stage.
“I like that they compare me to the greatest player in the history of football, but I want to be myself,” Yamal told Spanish TV station Antena 3 when asked about being talked about alongside the Argentina World Cup winner. “Reaching Messi’s level is impossible.”
Yamal’s brush with football immortality happened relatively early. He was featured in a 2007 photo shoot with Messi at just six months old, appearing with the former Barcelona star in a charity calendar after winning a contest.
“Man, he passed along some of his powers to me,” Yamal said. “I still have a lot to give.”
The young forward scored a stunning equalizer in the semifinal match at the Euro against France to set the table for the win in the final over England. After the tournament, Transfermarkt valued Yamal’s transfer fee at 120 million.
However, it might take more than that to pry Yamal away from the club he’s been a part of for most of his life.
“I don’t want those 120 million because then I would have to leave Barça,” he said. “I hope I never have to leave. I want to be a legend.”
When asked what he remembers about his club debut in 2023 at the age of 15, Yamal said: “I remember I arrived before anyone else and I had to eat breakfast, but I didn’t go. I waited by the bicycles and didn’t come out until everyone left.”