After spending 21 years at the Catalan club, Lionel Messi left FC Barcelona in 2021 in a manner that was far from fair for a legend of his stature. The Argentine and the Blaugrana hierarchy clearly had some issues between them, and La Pulga was not very happy with the way he had been treated by the club.
However, the ice between the two parties seems to be thawing recently. Although he did not attend the gala for the celebration of Barcelona’s 125th anniversary, he still sent a heartfelt message. Similarly, in another recent message, he expressed his desire to see Barcelona return to the top in all the big competitions in Spain and Europe.
Now, as Mundo Deportivo has reported, Messi once again picked a Barcelona star, Lamine Yamal, as the player in whom he sees himself reflected as he attended an event in Germany. In this regard, the Argentine World Cup winner said:
“There is a very talented generation of young footballers with many years ahead of them. If I had to choose one, because of his age and future potential, I’ve heard people mention Lamine Yamal, and I absolutely agree.”
“It depends on him and various factors, as football can be unpredictable, but he is already making an impact in the present and undoubtedly has a huge future ahead.”
BARCELONA, SPAIN - NOVEMBER 03: Lamine Yamal of FC Barcelona acknowledges the fans as he displays his 2024 Kopa Trophy prior to the La Liga EA Sports match between FC Barcelona and RCD Espanyol at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on November 03, 2024 in Barcelona, Spain.
Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images
There is no doubt that Lamine Yamal deserves this honor the most, not only because of his association with Barcelona but also because of the high-level performances that he has been putting in for the last two years at a very tender age.
Furthermore, one can argue that Yamal was already anointed by Messi when he was only a baby, as there was an interaction between the two 17 years ago in which Messi can be seen holding a young Lamine Yamal as a part of a photo shoot for a calendar.
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BARCELONA, SPAIN - OCTOBER 20: Pedri of FC Barcelona celebrates with teammates Raphinha, Marc Casado and Lamine Yamal after scoring his team's second goal during the La Liga EA Sports match between FC Barcelona and Sevilla FC at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on October 20, 2024 in Barcelona, Spain.
STUTTGART, GERMANY - JULY 05: Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol, Former Barcelona Defenders looks on from the during the UEFA EURO 2024 quarter-final match between Spain and Germany at Stuttgart Arena on July 05, 2024 in Stuttgart, Germany.
SEVILLE, SPAIN - DECEMBER 07: Ferran Torres of FC Barcelona scores his team's second goal during the LaLiga match between Real Betis Balompie and FC Barcelona at Estadio Benito Villamarin on December 07, 2024 in Seville, Spain.