“Idolo” - Barcelona superstar pays touching tribute to Lionel Messi on social media

Barcelona youngster Lamine Yamal has paid tribute to his idol Lionel Messi via X (formerly Twitter).

The 16-year-old attacker, who is enjoying his breakthrough season with the Catalan club, posted two images. The first of the two sees a young Yamal posing beside Messi, while the second captures the Blaugrana man sporting an Argentina kit of the 36-year-old great.

He wrote in the caption, along with a blue heart:

"Idolo!"

Yamal has impressed during his short career so far, which has even led to several drawing comparisons between the youngster and Messi. However, the teenager said in a recent interview (via Mundo Deportivo):

"That's a comparison I leave to the others, but there will never be another player like Leo Messi."

The Argentina captain enjoyed an illustrious career at Barcelona, which saw him score 672 goals and assist 303 from 778 appearances across competitions. He won La Liga 10 times and the UEFA Champions League title on three occasions while at Camp Nou.

Besides all that, Messi is an eight-time Ballon d'Or winner and helped Argentina to World Cup success in Qatar in 2022. He scored seven goals and assisted three throughout the tournament.

Meanwhile, Yamal is still at the beginning of what looks like a prosperous career. This season, he's made 39 appearances across competitions for Barcelona, bagging six goals and seven assists.

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Lionel Messi spotted training at Inter Miami after failing to make Argentina squad

Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi has been spotted training with Inter Miami after having to pull out of Argentina's squad for the current international break. The Argentina national team announced that Messi would miss the friendlies against El Salvador (March 22) and Costa Rica (March 26) due to injury.

However, there is good news for Herons' fans, who can spot the former Barcelona man jogging up and down in training. Reporting the situation, journalist Franco Panizo posted videos of Messi on his X account.

It is still uncertain as to when the star will return to action for Inter Miami. He missed the club's latest win over DC United on March 16 after picking up the injury in an earlier 3-1 victory against Nashville on March 13.

Messi's return will be crucial for the Florida-based side, given he's already contributed with five goals and two assists in five matches this season. Currently, the Herons are atop the Eastern Conference, level on points with Columbus, who have played a game less.