Lamine Yamal continues to astound everyone in football - from pundits to fellow professionals - thanks to his extraordinary performances for Barcelona this season. The teenager, who doesn’t turn 18 until July 13, might just be the most exciting 17-year-old we’ve ever seen in the sport’s history - with the possible exception of Pele, who won the World Cup with Brazil at the same age in 1958.
It was fitting that Lamine Yamal scored the stunning goal that effectively secured Barca their 28th La Liga title away at Espanyol on Thursday. The Spain international cut in from the right flank and curled an unstoppable left-footed strike past goalkeeper Joan Garcia.
It was a goal that Barcelona’s greatest ever player, Lionel Messi, would have been proud of. The Argentine legend scored countless similar goals during his 17-year spell as a first-team player at Camp Nou.
But not even Messi managed to achieve what Lamine Yamal has before the age of 18. He continues to smash records, seemingly on a weekly basis, and could become the youngest-ever winner of the Ballon d’Or award later this year. Only Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembele is currently ahead of Lamine Yamal in GiveMeSport’s Ballon d’Or Power Rankings.
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Barcelona star has no doubt about who football's greatest player is
Lamine Yamal
England legend Gary Lineker recently predicted that Lamine Yamal will become football’s next truly great footballer after Pele, Diego Maradona and Messi - but who does the man himself believe is football’s GOAT (greatest of all time)?
After winning his second La Liga title this week, the supremely-gifted winger revealed that, in his view, Messi is the greatest player in history - and for that reason, he cannot be compared to the current Inter Miami forward. Per Fabrizio Romano, Lamine Yamal said:
“I’d never compare me with Messi… Leo is the best player ever.”
While the debate will never truly be settled - especially with new generational talents like Lamine Yamal having the potential to enter the GOAT conversation one day - the general consensus is that Messi propelled himself to pole position on the pantheon of all-time greats after inspiring Argentina to World Cup glory in 2022. He then went on to win a record-breaking eighth Ballon d’Or award - leaving himself three Ballons d’Or clear of his closest challenger, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Most Ballon d'Or Awards
Player
Lionel Messi
Cristiano Ronaldo
Michel Platini
Johan Cruyff
Marco van Basten
Of course, many football fans across the world will argue in favour of other players. The older generation, for example, may argue that Messi will never surpass Pele or Maradona. And there are plenty of younger fans who maintain that Ronaldo will always have the edge over Messi, despite his World Cup triumph.
But in Lamine Yamal’s mind, the icon that he coincidentally first met during the early weeks of his life is the greatest footballer we’ve ever seen. And not even he expects to equal Messi over the course of his own career.