"I will go out and show that I'm better than him" - Red Star Belgrade star sends message to Lamine Yamal ahead of Barcelona showdown

Red Star Belgrade midfield prodigy Andrija Maksimovic has thrown down the gauntlet to his Barcelona counterpart Lamine Yamal ahead of the two sides' UEFA Champions League meeting in Belgrade on Wednesday (November 6).

The Serbian Super Liga leaders - like Barca in La Liga - have won all but one of their league outings this season but have work to do in the continent, as they have lost their opening three Champions League games.

Hansi Flick's Barca - fresh off a 3-1 home league win over Espanyol at the weekend - have won two of their three Champions League games, their only reverse being a 2-1 upset at AS Monaco on matchday one.

Yamal, 17, has been one of the standout players in European football since his breakout 2023-24 season with Barca. Meanwhile, Maksimovic, also 17, is touted as a generational talent. The Serbian teenager, nicknamed Little Messi in his native country, said about Yamal (as per Reshad Rahman):

“Tomorrow I will go out and show Lamine Yamal that I’m better than him. I also plan to exchange jerseys after, great player."

Yamal is set for another stellar campaign, having registered six goals and eight assists in 15 games across competitions. Five of those goals and seven assists have come in 12 La Liga outings, with his team nine points clear of second-placed holders Real Madrid.

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Alvaro Morata heaps praise on Barcelona's Lamine Yamal

Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal

Spain striker Alvaro Morata has waxed lyrical of Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal, who has continued to turn heads with his stellar exploits for club and country in the last 12 months.

Having contributed a goal and four assists in Spain's triumphant Euro 2024 campaign in Germany, Yamal has continued from where he left off last campaign, topping the La Liga assist charts.

“He’s got a very determined character," Morata told The Athletic (via Barca Blaugranes). "That’s hard to find in a person his age (17). He’s got a very clear idea about what he wants to do. He’s got a lot of personality and has everything in front of him."

“Honestly I’ve never seen anything like it. I’ve never seen a player like it. One training session was enough to realise he’s different, that he’s one of the fenomeni."

Morata continued:

“Every 20 or 30 years one or two emerge like Cristiano and Messi. For me, he’s got everything it takes to make history. I’m convinced that if he doesn’t become the greatest player in Spain’s history, he’ll definitely be one of them."

Yamal has 13 goals and 17 assists in 66 games across competitions for Barcelona.