At just 17 years old, Lamine Yamal has achieved remarkable success, winning the Euro championship with Spain and establishing himself as one of Barcelona’s most important players. Barça legend Rivaldo believes that he is already at the same level as more established stars such as Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr.
“He is a fantastic player. I admire him because he has personality despite being young. But he already has a very, very high level,” Rivaldo said. “I believe he is already at the level of Mbappe and Vinicius. And based on his personality, I think he still has a lot to show. He is going to go very, very far,” the Brazilian legend insisted.
Rivaldo, who won the 1999 Ballon d’Or, also praised Yamal for his personality. “You see Yamal and he plays with joy. He enjoys football. When you add to that the fact that he has already won the Euro Cup, it makes him a standout player for the future. I am convinced,” he said.
During this season with Barcelona, Yamal has scored five goals and provided five assists in just eleven appearances. Apart from helping Spain lift the 2024 Euro, the 17-year-old forward is also nominated for the 2024 Ballon d’Or, as well as for the Kopa Trophy, awarded to the best-performing player under the age of 21.
Lamine Yamal of FC Barcelona (David Ramos/Getty Images)
For the latter, he is clearly the favorite to win the award. Especially due to his historic achievement as the youngest player to play, score, and win the UEFA European Championship in 2024 with Spain.
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Worries about Yamal’s lack of rest in Barcelona
As club football takes a brief hiatus for UEFA Nations League fixtures, Spain will face Denmark and Serbia in back-to-back home games. Yamal has started in all games this season, and fans are growing concerned about him being overplayed.
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However, Spain coach Luis de La Fuente thinks that Yamal can play, and he probably will. “I’ll give you a fact: FIFA has done a study of the last 12 years of 40 days. The percentage of minutes played by players with the national team is 3.5 per cent. National team matches do not ‘injure’ anyone. We must compete and to do so we need the best. And with the few windows that we have, we must always turn to them. If I had the players in a club, for 10 or 11 months, I would manage their rest in a different way, but as a coach I must always call on the best,” the coach said to the press.
