Barcelona president Joan Laporta considers Lamine Yamal to be a “genius” and has addressed the teenage wonderkid’s comparisons with Lionel Messi.
Teen sensation signed new contractHas also inherited iconic No.10 jerseyLikened to Golden Ball-winning GOATFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Yamal has been likened to Messi since stepping out of the same La Masia academy system as the Argentine GOAT. They are both left-footed playmakers that glide past opponents and get supporters on their feet.
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The record books have been rewritten by Yamal since making his senior bow at the age of 15, with his 18th birthday allowing a lucrative contract in Catalunya to be signed while also inheriting Messi’s iconic No.10 shirt.
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Those in Barcelona are reluctant to discuss the similarities between fan favourites of past and present, with it important not to lump too much pressure onto Yamal’s shoulders, and Laporta admits that nobody gets close to Messi for now.
Getty/GOALWHAT LAPORTA SAID
He told during Barca’s pre-season tour of Asia: “Lamine is Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi was Lionel Messi. Messi has been the best player in the world, and Lamine, I think that in today’s situation, he is the best in the world. I think we’ll see, we’ll see.
“Lamine has a lot of personality, like Messi, in his time he also had a lot of personality. Of course, Messi won everything. Messi did everything. For me, he is probably the best player in history.”
While talking up Messi’s claims to being an all-time great, Laporta said of Yamal potentially heading down a similar path: “He is the type of player of which there are very few like him because he is a genius and he is at the highest level.”