'Lionel Messi comparisons don't help' - Lamine Yamal feeling the pressure amid expectations he will emulate Barcelona legend

Lamine Yamal is perhaps the biggest talent to emerge from Barcelona's famed La Masia academy since the great Lionel Messi himself, sparking comparisons between the two. However, the 2024 Golden Boy award winner doesn't want to be compared to one of his footballing idols as he admitted that those comparisons do not make things any better for him.

Yamal has the world at his feet at the tender age of just 17, having played a pivotal role in Spain's EURO 2024 triumph. He is arguably Barcelona's most important player under Hansi Flick, as proved by the club's concerning record when they are without his services.

Achieving so much in such a short amount of time, especially after coming through the ranks at the club's youth academy, has given way to the obvious comparisons with Messi. Recently, former club captain and icon Carles Puyol urged people to stop comparing Yamal with the Argentine maestro. "If we put the label of Leo on him, the pressure is already maximum. What Leo has done and continues to do is incredible and it will be very difficult to see a player like that again," Puyol said.

The attacker himself, meanwhile, feels flattered to be likened to the Argentine, but is not getting carried away.

"It's an honour [to be compared to Lionel Messi], but I'm trying to write my own story," Yamal told MARCA. "Messi is the best in history, I'm still taking my first steps. These comparisons sometimes don't help."

The 17-year-old is currently nursing an ankle injury, which he sustained during Barca's 1-0 loss to Leganes last weekend. He will remain on the sidelines for at least 3-4 weeks and is expected to return sometime in the latter half of January 2025.