During an interview with Flashscore (h/t SPORT), former Barcelona midfielder and club icon Ivan Rakitic spoke very highly of talismanic Blaugrana attacker Lamine Yamal, who has now emerged as the face of the team.
Despite being only 18 years old, Lamine is considered among one of the best footballers in the game currently and even finished second in the 2025 Ballon d’Or rankings, only behind PSG’s Ousmane Dembele.
Rakitic hails Lamine Yamal
And, according to Rakitic, who retired from professional football earlier this year, Lamine is an incredible talent.
“He’s an incredible player, I’m proud of him as he progresses and develops. Barcelona and Spain have something special in him, and we must all help him learn to handle the pressure,” said Rakitic.
Despite his admiration for Barcelona’s No. 10, the Croatian avoids comparing him with the iconic trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar, or Luis Suarez, with whom he shared a dressing room at the Spotify Camp Nou.
Lamine Yamal, Barcelona player
Rakitic things highly of Lamine Yamal. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
“He has to follow his own path, I wouldn’t compare him to the three of the ‘MSN,’” said the former midfielder.
Recalling his experiences with the legendary attacking trio, Rakitic added: “It was brilliant to play with them, an incredible time.
“The whole world witnessed something special, you could tell it was something unique. I think it’s the best thing that could have happened to football.”
The Barcelona coach during that period was Luis Enrique, whom Rakitic remembers fondly.
“It would take hours and hours to talk about Luis Enrique. I enjoyed working with him for three years,” said the former Barcelona midfielder.
“He is a truly special man and coach, very meticulous and thorough, which is why he achieves such results. I am not at all surprised that he is achieving such results with PSG,” he further added in praise of Lucho.