Lamine Yamal ‘deserves No.10’ but Lionel Messi comparisons ‘aren’t helpful’ as Sergio Aguero reacts to hype surrounding Barcelona wonderkid

Having seen another product of their famed La Masia academy system make a senior breakthrough at 15, Barca are trying to carefully manage Yamal through a testing stage of his career that presents plenty of distractions.

He has been likened to eight-time Ballon d’Or winner for some time, as another left-footed superstar that is seemingly destined for greatness, with records tumbling around the youngster as he collected European Championship and La Liga titles.

Spain international Yamal has now turned 18, allowing him to sign a lucrative contract, while an iconic shirt in Catalunya has been passed his way. Ex-Barcelona striker Aguero has told Stake.com: “[Barcelona’s number 10] has got a lot of symbolic weight for sure. There's Leo to think about, yes, but also Ronaldinho, Diego [Maradona], and other great players. I think Lamine deserves the 10, having demonstrated a lot of character and skill for a player his age. He's performed great both at Barcelona as well as the national squad, so I'd say he's managed the pressure very well so far.”

Aguero added on the pressure being lumped onto Yamal’s young shoulders as he heads down a similar path to Argentine GOAT Messi: “I don't believe there's a lot of value in this type of hypotheticals. Leo has a singular, one-of-a-kind trajectory of personal and team feats under his belt. For Barcelona, he's the best there ever was. So, this type of comparisons aren't helpful. Lamine should pave his own path. He's just getting started and he's done brilliantly until now.”

Yamal has remained unfazed by the hype that continues to rage around him, but there are many more challenges for him to overcome - with consistency required over a prolonged period of time if he is to truly emulate Messi and eventually step out of the South American’s shadow.