Messi or Yamal? Champions League winner with Barcelona shares his opinion on the Spanish star

Just two months shy of his 18th birthday, Lamine Yamal is already established as one of the most important players in the world. The young winger has played a key role in Barcelona’s success this season, earning praise from a former UEFA Champions League champion, who imagined how he would mesh with Lionel Messi on the same team.

“Lamine, always on my team,” said Ivan Rakitic about Yamal in a recent interview, according to TyC Sports. “He’s incredible. I love his boldness, his joy.” The former Croatian midfielder then offered a piece of advice to the young Spanish star: “He has to keep enjoying himself.”

Rakitic played six years with Barcelona, from 2014 to 2020, during one of the most glorious eras in the club’s history. He won 13 titles there, including La Liga four times, Copa del Rey four times, and the Champions League in the 2014–15 season, followed by the Club World Cup later that year.

“Lamine wouldn’t be a starter in our Barcelona,” Ivan said when asked how Yamal would fit into that star-studded team that conquered Europe. “At that time we had the best attacking trio in history with Messi, Neymar and Suarez.”

Yamal had a great season with Barcelona

What was Barcelona’s MSN?

Between 2014 and 2017, Barcelona capitalized on one of the most dangerous attacking trios in soccer history. Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Neymar Jr. formed that frontline, which became known as ‘MSN,’ a reference to the initials of each player.

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With that trio, the Spanish side dazzled Europe in the 2015 Champions League and dominated Spanish soccer throughout those years. Over the three seasons MSN existed, Messi scored 153 goals and provided 66 assists, Suarez added 121 goals and 67 assists, and Ney contributed 90 goals and 63 assists—showcasing the sheer attacking firepower Barcelona had on the pitch.

That partnership, however, came to an abrupt end in the summer of 2017, when Neymar chose to leave Spain and begin a new chapter in France. Paris Saint-Germain paid Barcelona €222 million (around $250 million), making the Brazilian forward the most expensive player of all time.

Yamal’s numbers this season

While Rakitic has a point in saying that Messi, Suarez, and Neymar reached a level few can match during those years, it doesn’t take away from what Yamal is achieving with Barcelona this season—at just 17 years old.

With one La Liga match still to play, Lamine Yamal has already posted his best numbers yet as a professional. This season he has played 54 matches with Barcelona across La Liga, UEFA Champions League, Copa del Rey, and Spanish Super Cup. He has scored 18 goals and delivered 22 assists, totaling 40 goal contributions—an average of 0.74 per game.