Ex-Lionel Messi team-mate explains why Lamine Yamal comparisons with Argentine GOAT are ‘completely normal’ – with Barcelona wonderkid billed as another ‘unique talent’

Fabregas spent time in Barca’s academy system alongside Messi, before being reunited at Camp Nou when returning to his Catalan roots from Arsenal in 2011. The ex-Spain international knows better than most what it takes to occupy the same talent bracket as his fellow World Cup winner.

Many are suggesting that Yamal – another La Masia graduate – is heading down the same path as Messi. Fabregas has told ESPN of a discussion that can be unhelpful, but is easy to start: “I can understand it. I don’t like it because I think every player is different and we all have our own story. And now Lamine needs to follow his road and create his own pathway. But definitely there are signs that always make you go back to what Leo used to be. I think it’s completely normal, especially also the Barcelona fans coming from a difficult period of years where there have been some difficulties.

“So I think the excitement that Lamine brings to the table nowadays, it’s very important. It’s like Leo, you know, in difficult times he stepped up for the team. And I think with Lamine, the potential is there to do very, very well for many years at Barcelona.”

It is proving difficult to keep a lid on the Yamal hype, with Fabregas adding on the hottest of prospects: “I think he’s a unique talent. He’s someone that you just need to let him go out and play football. He will always make a difference when he’s pressed. When he’s not pressed, he always finds the right solution, even if it’s an individual action or a one, two, or the last ball, or give continuity to the play, whatever the game demands at that moment.

“He’s capable of reading [a game] and he’s capable of understanding what it needs. I think this is already a sign of a big player, of a very mature player. And what I like the most is that it feels like he’s playing in the street. It feels like everything has become so easy for him. He’s free in the mind.”

Yamal made a senior breakthrough at Barca when just 15 years of age, with records being broken on a regular basis since then. He is now a European Championship winner at 17 and is expected to sign a new contract when turning 18 in July 2025.