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Former Barcelona player and manager Ronald Koeman has claimed that Lamine Yamal shouldn't be compared to Lionel Messi. The Spaniard has been compared heavily to Messi following his exceptional showings at a very young age.
At just 17 years of age, Yamal is already a key player for Barcelona and also for Spain. He has been instrumental for Hansi Flick's side this season and also played a pivotal role in Spain's Euro 2024 triumph.
However, Ronald Koeman has urged fans not to compare the teenage sensation to Messi. He insisted that while Yamal is an exceptional talent, Messi is incomparable. The Netherlands manager said, as quoted by Barca Universal:
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“No one should be compared to Messi. Yamal is of course an amazing player. At his age, of this quality and importance, let’s hope he continues on this path. There is only one Messi. I think you have the right to compare players, and the only thing I hope is that the player himself doesn’t think that way, but rather works every day to improve. I think that’s the most important thing because a player’s career goes through a lot of ups and downs."
Koeman added:
“He must work hard and be serious. He can certainly become a great player, and he already is at his current age, because he is a decisive player at certain moments in matches. He shouldn’t be compared to Messi because Messi is a unique player, and that’s all there is to it. Messi was fantastic, and certainly with the passing years and gaining experience, Lamine will improve more and more, but I don’t think we’ll ever see a player in the future who was as important to Barcelona as Messi was."
Barcelona keeper Wojciech Szczesny does not want to compare Lamine Yamal with Lionel Messi
Barcelona shot-stopper Wojciech Szczesny has claimed that Lamine Yamal should not be compared to Lionel Messi. Yamal has been likened to Messi following his stellar rise at Camp Nou, but Szczesny does not believe that the two are similar.
The experienced goalkeeper said, as quoted by Barca Universal:
"Do I see similarities between Messi and Lamine Yamal? No, they are completely different players, and there’s no reason to compare them. I don’t see Lamine scoring 50 goals a season like Messi, but he’s incredibly dangerous in one-on-one situations. His best trait is his understanding of the game and delivering key passes at the perfect time."
Lionel Messi is arguably the greatest player to ever grace the game and is one of Barcelona's biggest legends. He spent 21 years of his career in the Catalan giants' books and made 778 appearances while contributing with 672 goals and 303 assists.
Yamal, also a left-footed right winger, has come through Barca's esteemed youth ranks. He has already made 94 appearances for La Blaugrana, scoring 21 goals and providing 28 assists.
