Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal says he has no intention of being the next Lionel Messi as the talented teenager focuses on making his own path in the game.
Yamal, 18, has been frequently compared with Barça great Messi, who helped Inter Miami reach the MLS Cup final at the weekend, for obvious reasons: both players came through the Catalan club’s academy, play on the right of the attack and have some similarities in their playing styles.
However, Yamal, who finished second in the Ballon d’Or this year, an award won eight times by Messi, insists it’s a tag he wants to avoid.
“I knew the question was coming,” Yamal told CBS show 60 Minutes when asked about the comparisons with Messi.
“I respect him, in the end for what’s he’s been, for what he is to football, and if we ever meet on a pitch, there will be that mutual respect because we are players and because, for me, he’s the best in history.
“He also knows I am a player and I respect him, so it’s mutual respect. We both know I don’t want to be Messi and Messi knows I don’t want to be him.
“I want to follow my path and that’s it. I don’t have the intention of playing like him or wearing the No.10 that Messi wore or anything like that.”
Yamal, who did inherit Barça’s No.10 shirt this summer coincidentally, says there are some elements of his game that have been shaped by Messi, who remains the club’s leading appearance holder and goal scorer.
While he often stands out for his dribbling skills, it’s his passing which he is most proud of, as demonstrated with his assist for Dani Olmo in Saturday’s 3-1 LaLiga win over Alavés which took Barça to the top of the table.
“The strange thing is as a little kid I didn’t dribble much,” he added. “I scored a lot, I ran a lot, but above all I always had a good vision of the game.
“As a kid, focusing on Messi maybe, I noticed he made different passes. I have seen good passers, making long passes or whatever, but Messi made passes that were like goals, with the outside of his foot, and that’s what I focused on.
“I’ve seen it from [Luka] Modric too. They are players I liked and it seemed more interesting than dribbling because it’s cleverer.”
Yamal and Messi have never met on the pitch, but that could potentially change next summer at the World Cup, which Spain and Argentina have both qualified for.
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As holders, Argentina rank among the favourites going into the tournament, which will be played in the United States, Canada and Mexico, while Spain are also among the candidates to lift the trophy after winning the European Championships last summer led by a 16-year-old Yamal.
“Very high,” Yamal said when asked about expectations going into the World Cup.
“It’s been a long time since Spain were a serious contender. The country is excited, I am excited. It couldn’t arrive in a better moment. I feel good, I feel important.
Asked if Spain will win the World Cup, he gave a one-word answer, in English: “Yes.”