Football great Lionel Messi has identified Barcelona youngster Lamine Yamal as a player who mirrors his own early potential and could emulate him as successor.
At a recent sponsor event, Messi praised Yamal’s exceptional talent and accomplishments at just 17 years old, noting, “There are great players who have a spectacular future.
“If I have to choose someone, I’ll choose Lamine for what he’s done so far at his age and for the future he has ahead of him.
“It depends on him, on many things too, because football is like that, but it’s the present and the future.
Yamal, who was born in Esplugues de Llobregat to a Moroccan father and an Equatorial Guinean mother, has quickly risen through the ranks at FC Barcelona.
He made his first-team debut at just 15 years old and has since become a key player for both his club and the Spanish national team.
Yamal’s remarkable skills were on display during Euro 2024, where he became the youngest player to score for Spain in a major tournament.
