After a remarkable 2024 in which he claimed both the esteemed Kopa Trophy and the Golden Boy award, Lamine Yamal is widely regarded as Barcelona’s brightest prospect since Lionel Messi.
Frequent comparisons between them have been made over the past year, and even Messi admits that he sees himself in Yamal. Now, the 17-year-old has opened up about what he admires the most about the Argentine star.
In a new Adidas promotional video, featuring some of the Argentine’s most iconic moments on the pitch, Yamal raved about Messi’s character. “I really admire Messi’s mentality, how he always seeks to win. He has won a lot of titles and the Ballon d’Or, but he always wants more,” Yamal said.
“Even when he didn’t win the World Cup, he never stopped trying. That’s something I like a lot, and it’s very difficult. When you win a title, you can relax a little bit, but he never did that. And certainly now he has the desire to win more titles and more World Cups,” he added.
However, the Barcelona winger also commanded Messi’s magic on the pitch. “What I like most about Messi’s style is the ease with which he plays. Being in a final and dribbling past 3-4 players, no player can do that. There may be a player who performs well for two years, but there is only one Messi,” he added.
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Messi praises Yamal: ‘He has a huge future ahead of him’
Earlier this month, Messi was asked if he sees a young talent with the same qualities as himself, and he replied that Yamal was one. “I think there’s a new generation of players that are very good, and they have many dreams ahead of them. But if I have to choose one, given his age and what he has accomplished so far, as well as the future he could have, it’s Lamine, without a doubt,” Messi said.
“It depends on him, and also other things because it’s soccer, and many factors come into play. But he is already part of the present and he has a huge future ahead of him,” the Argentine star added.
With only 17 years old, Yamal had a standout year in 2024, helping Spain win the Euros and earning recognition as the Young Player of the Tournament, along with a place in the Team of the Tournament.
His remarkable achievements continued with an eighth-place finish in the Ballon d’Or rankings, where his Spain teammate Rodri claimed the top prize. Additionally, Yamal added the Golden Boy award—once won by Lionel Messi—and the Kopa Trophy to his growing list of honors.
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Messi and Yamal collaborate for Adidas
The Adidas campaign is part of a collaboration between Messi and several other young stars, including Barcelona’s Femeni talent Vicky Lopez, who also won the Golden Girl award this year, to promote his new line “Messi+10.”
On his Instagram account, Messi shared a video of the two Blaugrana talents. “Lamine, Vicky: this award is the result of not just talent, but also of hard work and sacrifice. It makes me proud that you are part of Messi+10. Congratulations and keep going!” he wrote.
Claudio Echeverri, Jaedyn Shaw, Antonio Nusa, Joel Ndala, Linda Caicedo, Kenan Yildiz, Assan Ouedraogo, and Eliesse Ben Seghir are the other talents recruited by Messi to wear his new collection.
