Lamine Yamal vs Vinicius Junior: Barcelona wonderkid told Lionel Messi-esque quality makes him better than Real Madrid rival

Two superstar wingers plying their trade in La Liga are considered to form part of the global elite. Yamal has been breaking records since the age of 15 – and is a European Championship winner at 17 – while Vinicius is the strong favourite to walk away with Ballon d’Or honours in 2024.

Both are capable of conjuring up moments of magic – much like Barca and Real icons Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo before them – but Yamal is considered to be the hotter of the two prospects. That is the opinion of former Spain international Marcos Senna, who has told Mundo Deportivo: “They are both great players, but I like Lamine much more. The reason is that he has pace. When I was asked before who I preferred, Messi or Cristiano, I always preferred Messi because of that, because of the pace. He had more presence in the game. More diversity in passing… other things.”

Senna, who savoured Euro 2008 glory with Spain, added on giving the nod to exciting teenager Yamal: “Vinicius sometimes makes passes that are brutal. The other day he gave one to Rodrygo with Espanyol that looked like [Luka] Modric had given it. But Lamine hits it much better and in one-on-ones, he catches the eye more. If he already had Vinicius ‘ speed he would be the perfect dribbler.”

Yamal has been showcasing those talents again in 2024-25, registering five goals and six assists for Barca, and continues to earn obvious comparisons with fellow La Masia academy graduate Messi – despite being eager to play down talk of treading a similar path to the Argentine legend.