Lionel Messi gives a nod to Barcelona gem Lamine Yamal on his Instagram story

Barcelona rising star Lamine Yamal has been compared to Lionel Messi due to his meteoric career at only 17 years old. The Argentine legend gave a nod to the Spaniard youngster on his Instagram account.

On Sunday, Dec. 1st, Messi published a video on his stories in which one of his sons, Mateo, was wearing Yamal’s Barcelona t-shirt while riding a bike alongside Antonella and Messi’s youngest son, Ciro.

Messi has shared his admiration for Yamal, telling L’Equiep that he will be a “prominent” figure for soccer back in 2023. However, the prediction came true sooner than expected with Yamal being a key figure for both Spain and Barcelona in 2024.

With Spain, Yamal won the 2024 Euros, and was named Young Player of the Tournament, as well as being included in the Team of the Tournament. He also finished eighth in the Ballon d’Or ranking, which went for his Spain’s teammate Rodri.

L-R: Lamine Yamal playing for FC Barcelona, Lionel Messi’s story with Mateo wearing Yamal’s shirt (IMAGO / AFLOSPORT)

Yamal has also been recognized with the Golden Boy, an award that Messi also won, and the Kopa Trophy. Both prizes are for the best player under-21 in the year. This season with Barcelona, Yamal has scored six goals and provided eight assists in 17 games.

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Yamal was wearing boots with Messi’s name on them

During Barcelona’s La Liga match against Las Palmas, Yamal was seen wearing boots with Messi’s name on them. According to Bein Sports, they are part of a campaign for Adidas, titled “Messi +10,” in which the Argentine legend selected ten players (men and women) to wear the boots.

Lamine Yamal’s with boots with Lionel Messi’s name on them (IMAGO / Pressinphoto)

So, from Barcelona, Messi selected Lamine Yamal, as well as Vicky Lopez, who is also a rising star from the women’s first team. She, as Yamal, also won the Golden Girl award, which is in its third edition.

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The other global talents that will wear the boots from the collection are Claudio Echeverri, Jaedyn Shaw, Antonio Nusa, Joel Ndala, Linda Caicedo, Kenan Yildiz, Assan Ouedraogo, and Eliesse Ben Seghir.