Lamine Yamal told of Lionel Messi quality he is yet to master – with Barcelona wonderkid treading same path as fellow La Masia graduate

Records have tumbled around the 17-year-old sensation, with a senior breakthrough made in Catalunya at the age of just 15. He has gone on to become a regular for La Liga giants Barca, while also earning Euro 2024 honours with Spain.

Yamal is treading a similar path to fellow La Masia graduate Messi, with the talented teenager being tipped to pick up Ballon d’Or prizes of his own at some stage. He is, however, still learning his trade, with there plenty of potential to be unlocked in his game.

Barca academy coach Oscar Lopez has told Sky Sports of Yamal’s bid to emulate an all-time great: “One of Messi’s great strengths, one of the many strengths that he had, was that he knew how to run the team. He knew how to make the team play, from a midfield position, or from that position on the right wing, going inside. He knew when it was necessary for him to lead the team, when to accelerate the play, and when he had to say, ‘Hey, the team is not playing well today, but I am, so I am going to decide this game, I am going to break it open.’ That is what I think Lamine still needs a little bit. But, over time, he is going to get it.”

Yamal has passed the 50-appearance mark for Barcelona, with seven goals recorded along the way. He will be hoping to take his game to even greater heights in 2024-25, with that campaign due to get underway when taking in a trip to Valencia on Saturday.