Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal has received guidance on what he must overlook to reach his full potential and live up to comparisons with Lionel Messi. At just 17, Yamal has quickly risen to prominence as a senior player in Catalonia and is a Euro 2024 champion with Spain. While he is already being seen as a future Ballon d’Or winner, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, a teammate, has offered crucial advice on how to achieve such success.
Barcelona’s top goalkeeper shared his thoughts on Yamal’s rapid ascent: “We should acknowledge [former head coach] Xavi for giving him the chance. He has something exceptional about him. I hope he remains grounded, avoids getting caught up in the praise, and stays focused on the present while continuing to work hard for the team. He still has plenty of room to grow, as he is very young and just beginning his career. He has also developed physically. Lamine knows he can rely on me for anything he needs.”
Yamal had the chance to be around Barcelona legend Messi when he was very young and is now following a similar trajectory as a La Masia academy alumnus. However, Ter Stegen is cautious about drawing direct comparisons between them at this stage. He added about his iconic former Argentine teammate: “You can’t compare them. We definitely miss Leo. As a player, he is one of a kind, consistently performing at the highest level in every match. He is the greatest of all time.”
Yamal has already made more than 50 appearances for Barcelona and 14 for the Spain national team. He scored seven goals for the Blaugrana last season and aims to surpass that tally in the 2024-25 campaign as he gets ready to return to the team under new head coach Hansi Flick.
