Barcelona legend, David Villa has insisted that it is wrong for fans to compare Lamine Yamal with his former teammate Lionel Messi.
Yamal, who is of Equatorial Guinean and Moroccan descent has been a livewire for Barcelona until his recent setback.
The 19-year-old has scored six goals in all competitions for the club.
Despite being a huge fan of Yamal, Villa admits it is wrong to compare him to the 2022 World Cup winner.
“He’s an incredible guy. The way he plays, the way he understands football… it’s true that I don’t know him personally, but I’ve been there a couple of times and he seems very calm and focused,” he told AS.
“This isn’t an explosion of a footballer that will only last a few months. He’s been proving his worth for a while now and, on the contrary, he continues to grow. He’s really good and every time you see him play, he improves. Plus, he knows what it means to be a champion.”
But on comparisons with Messi, Yamal also said: “Never. I think it’s difficult to compare any player to Messi today. Lamine Yamal is already a world star. He’s achieved important things in two years and, as a Barça fan, he excites me again.
“And the fans also have the right to dream with him, but I don’t think it’s necessary to compare him to Messi, because he will have a fantastic career.”
Lamine Yamal has returned to full training and he is expected to be in action against Athletic Bilbao in the Supercopa de España on Wednesday at the King Abdullah Sports City in Saudi Arabia.
