Barcelona star Lamine Yamal has dismissed comparisons with Lionel Messi, saying he wants to create his own identity, adding that that the Argentinian legend understands his feelings.
Speaking to a news outlet, Yamal addressed the comparisons with Messi. “I respect him for what he has been and what he is for football,” Yamal said.
“If we meet one day on a football field, there will be that mutual respect. For me he is the best in history.”
He stressed that “We both also know that I don’t want to be Messi and Messi knows that I don’t want to be him, I want to follow my own path. I have no intention of playing like him, or wearing the number 10 that Messi wore, or anything like that.”
Yamal admitted that Messi influenced his development as a young player, especially through his passing.
“When I was little, I never dribbled much, I ran a lot but above all I always had a very good vision of the game. I looked a lot at Messi because he gave different passes, goal passes and that’s what I looked at. Also in passes with the outside, that I’ve seen a lot to Modric. They are things that I liked a lot and that seemed more interesting than a dribble.”
While explaining his style, Yamal said he plays football to entertain.
“Fun, that’s the word. In the end I play for people to have fun. I’m an athlete who entertains and whose goal is not to break all the records in the world, to score a million goals, to make a million dribbles. I want to enjoy myself and for kids to want to be like me. Obviously, if I score a lot of goals, that’s even better, but I think football goes beyond that.”
Yamal’s rise has been meteoric. He has won two league titles with FC Barcelona and a European Championship with Spain’s national football team.
He finished as runner-up in the 2025 Ballon d’Or just months ago.
Meanwhile, former Barcelona great Messi won 35 trophies during his legendary spell at the club.