Comparing Lamine Yamal to Barcelona icon Lionel Messi is 'crazy', admits Dani Olmo

Olmo acknowledged Yamal's spectacular abilities and potential, but insisted that the 18-year-old needs space to grow without the burden of colossal expectations. The sentiment echoes calls from other senior football figures, including Pep Guardiola and Xavi, who have also advocated for Yamal to be allowed to develop naturally. Despite Olmo's cautionary words, the comparisons are fueled by Yamal's extraordinary rise. Having made his Barcelona debut at just 15, Yamal has since broken multiple records, including becoming La Liga's youngest goalscorer.

The stats for both players at the age of 18 highlight the different paths their careers took in their initial stages, largely due to the varying team circumstances and opportunities at Barca during their respective breakthroughs. Yamal has been involved in significantly more first-team football by age 18 than Messi was. Yamal has made a remarkable 127 senior professional appearances compared to Messi's 33 at the same age. He has scored 25 goals, compared to Messi's nine and contributed 37 assists, versus Messi's one, which is a testament to his immediate impact and the opportunities provided by the club and the Spanish national team. He had already won the UEFA Euro 2024 with Spain and multiple domestic trophies with Barcelona before his 18th birthday. 

Conversely, Messi broke into a star-studded Barcelona team featuring established global icons like Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'o, requiring him to bide his time and slowly integrate into the squad. While his initial numbers were modest, he quickly became a regular and his statistics exploded in the years that followed. He reached 100 appearances at age 20 with 40 goals and 19 assists.

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Speaking ahead of the clash with Copenhagen, Olmo was asked about Yamal and how he compares to Messi: "Nothing can be said about the paths, right? Lamine has his own path. He knows that. Comparing him to Messi is crazy. Although Lamine is spectacular, he gives us a lot, but he will give us much more in the future. We are there to help him, to make him better. If he plays well, the team will win. It’s a collective thing."

Barcelona head into a must-win match with Copenhagen on Wednesday evening, with all 18 matches kicking off at 20:00 (GMT). The Catalans will most likely need a win to stand a chance of securing automatic qualification for the Champions League last 16 and avoid a risky play-off round. They currently sit in ninth place with 13 points, level with several rivals, and their goal difference of plus five isn’t enough to be considered a huge help for their chances.  

A draw or defeat would realistically end their hopes of direct qualification, pushing them into the two-legged play-offs with an uncertain path ahead. Hansi Flick's side enters the match in strong form, with nine consecutive home wins and confidence in their attacking power despite the absence of key midfielders Pedri to injury and Frenkie de Jong to suspension. 

Copenhagen sit 26th and need a win to boost their own slim play-off chances, and are rightly considered massive underdogs, so the Catalan giants must not only secure a victory at the Camp Nou but ideally win with a significant goal margin to improve their precarious goal difference and ensure their fate remains in their own hands.