Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has asked the football world not to compare Barcelona starlet Lamine Yamal to Lionel Messi.
The former Al-Sadd of Qatar manager was speaking at the press conference of the club ahead of their game with FC Porto in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday evening.
Lamine Yamal, 16, is a right winger from La Masia, the famed academy of Barcelona, who made his first-team debut for the club in April 2023. He ended up playing enough games to be considered for a medal as Barcelona eventually lifted the 2022/23 LaLiga title.
The club has now incorporated him into the first team officially in the 2023/24 season, with reports indicating that he will no longer be allowed to play for the Barcelona B or youth sides which he still qualifies for.
He has repaid that faith in him and just like Ansu Fati before him, comparisons to Barcelona great Lionel Messi have begun.
Xavi, however, has spoken constantly about managing the youngster properly so that he does not end up with a similar workload as the other youngsters in the team who are bucking under the effects of playing too much football. He has also spoken about comparing the player to Barcelona’s greatest ever, Messi, who coincidentally occupied the same wing where Yamal operates from.
His latest call to stop the comparisons came at the Porto-Barca press conference when they were brought up.
“I hope Lamine can mark an era [in football], but we are not doing him any favours saying that,” the Barca coach said in a news conference when asked about Messi comparisons. “It’s true the expectations are enormous and, aged 16, he is playing at a brutal level, which is hugely positive. But let’s see what the future holds without comparing him with Messi.”
“It’s not gone that well for all the players that have been compared with Messi in the past.”
On Monday, the 16-year-old signed a new contract with the club until 2026. On Wednesday, he could become the youngest player to ever score in the Champions League, a record currently held by Ansu Fati. another Barcelona player previously compared to Messi. Yamal turns 17 in July 2024 which means he has all season to beat the record.
In the meantime, he will be focusing on impressing Xavi enough to be considered for an outing against two-time Champions League winners Porto.
