Although Lamine Yamal will not replace Lionel Messi, Hansi Flick is the ideal person to supervise the development of the teenage phenomenon, and analogies to the Barcelona star are “fair.”
The season has begun in spectacular fashion for the Spain wonderkid, and if he stays true to himself and does not get carried away by his own hype, the possibilities are endless.
Girona boss Michel described Lamine as a “difference-maker” after witnessing the Barcelona forward tease his team in Sunday’s La Liga match. “At just 17 years old, he is already among the greatest players in the world, in my opinion.
It is hard to think that someone [similar to Lionel] Messi will emerge after him, but I hope Lamine continues to develop since he is a player capable of that caliber.”
At Estadi Montilivi, Yamal scored his first away brace for Barcelona to help cap off an amazing 4-1 victory.
This is the second-best total in Europe’s top five leagues behind Erling Haaland. For a child who only turned 17 in July, it is not typical.
After being instrumental in Spain’s drive for the 2024 European Championship championship, it would have been understandable for Yamal to experience burnout; nevertheless. At this age, not even the legendary Messi could reach the heights that Yamal is reaching.
Time will tell if Michel’s predictions come true, but Barcelona is once again the best team in La Liga, mostly because of Yamal’s genius. And for the first time since Messi left the team.
He is the major reason fans are dreaming of European victory ahead of the Blaugrana’s return to Champions League activity.
Skill and stress
Even though Yamal had a breakout year for Barca, it was evident that he was still a rough diamond. The recent graduate of La Masia’s academy shone intermittently rather than steadily in Xavi’s possession-based approach.
But Yamal was able to showcase his full potential at the Euros because to Luis de la Fuente’s tactical style and now he is reproducing that success at the club level under Hansi Flick.
“Sincerity has been essential. After the Girona victory, Yamal said to Barca One, “After we recover, we only focus about scoring.
Barca has scored 17 goals in their first five league games for the first time since 2017–18, demonstrating the success of this mentality.
Although Girona defeated Barca 4-2 both at home and away in 2023–24, they were comprehensively outclassed this time. Yamal extended Barca’s advantage seven minutes later with a brilliantly placed first-time shot from a loose ball.
He had earlier broken the deadlock on the half-hour mark with a clinical first-time finish after picking a Girona defender’s pocket just outside the area. These objectives appeared straightforward, but only because of the adolescent’s incredibly self-assured execution of them.
Now that he has the finished product, Yamal can match his electrifying talent and fearlessness with the ball.
In addition, he is slaving furiously off it; this season, he is won the ball back in the final third eight times, more than any other La Liga player.
Lamine’s two goals made me extremely happy. He is young, but he is truly fantastic.
Flick told Movistar Plus. His presence is essential to us not just because of his caliber. But he can also press really high. He blends skill with pressure, and that is really important to us. He is exceptional.”
Reaching up to a symbol
Yamal’s breakthrough Barca debut in April 2023 led to him being dubbed “the future Messi.
After seeing Yamal in training for the first time, former Barcelona winger Isaac Cuenca—who is currently the technical director of the team’s Aitana Bonmati Campus—gave in to the hype.
Cuenca told Mundo Deportivo, We have all been compared to stars, and in the end, some make it further than others.
In the instance of Lamine Yamal, I talked to Xavi about going to watch a Barca practice. I went to observe Xavi after he had unlocked the doors for me. “All right, this is different,” I said. Fair parallels have been made. He has a lot of potential and is a really talented player.
There is not much more to say about what he is doing or what he did with Spain in the Euros. He only needs to enjoy himself, keep moving forward, and most importantly, trust Barca to look after him.”
Though none of them were really deserving of being mentioned in the same bracket, Bojan Krkic, Gerard Deulofeu, Giovani Dos Santos, and most recently Ansu Fati were all favored to follow in Messi’s footsteps after joining Barca’s senior squad. But Yamal is not like that.
Since Messi transcended the sport for the better part of two decades. More than anybody else, though, Yamal has earned the parallels. As Cuenca said, they are now “fair” even though they might not be precise.
Establishing his own path
Part of the reason Messi remained at the top for so long was that he appeared to be unaffected by pressure. The small Argentine never seemed to be phased by anything, and Yamal is of the same stock.
Lamine Yamal, 17, is a very powerful player mentally, according to Barca sporting director Deco.
Who also praised his technical skill. That is what makes him unique among the others. The responsibility of representing Barca and the national team on major platforms does not weigh on him. He would be a member of the greatest Barcelona teams ever.”
The fact that Deco’s final line does not seem implausible is the greatest praise we could give Yamal.
It is conceivable that he and Messi may click in a manner similar to that of Neymar, Pedro, Thierry Henry, and Ronaldinho during the initial stages of the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner’s illustrious Barcelona career.
There was magic in the boots and an unflappable charm about all those elite players.
Like Yamal does every time he steps onto the pitch, they likewise aimed to be distinguished by their own special.
He stated to France Football at the beginning of the month, “Leaving a legacy is the most important thing to me.
Being compared to Leo is ultimately more significant than choosing not to look at it. It is accurate to say that you are performing well if you are compared to the greatest player in history. Naturally, it does not worry me, but I make an effort to constantly be who I am.
Ideal mentor
Although Yamal’s mature attitude about being compared to Messi is encouraging.
It does not make him any more wise than other elite players in his age group. He is still developing psychologically and physically.
Just like any adolescent and in order to reach his enormous potential, he must escape the traps of celebrity.
Last week, Flick stated, “I think Lamine is at a good level but, at his age, he can and still needs to progress.
“Watching him train every day is fantastic. He needs to put in a lot of effort, advance, and get better. I believe that the saying “champions do not rest” is wise guidance. He must never stop working toward his goal of becoming a great champion.”z
Following rumors that Yamal had to endure a tunnel of slaps as a form of discipline for showing up late for one of his team meetings Flick reportedly spoke harsh things.
It is right that the Spain international will not receive any preferential treatment as a result of his recent rise to superstardom.
Barcelona is conscious of Yamal’s “extreme notoriety,” according to Marca, and some top officials are concerned that he might get “overwhelmed” by the outside attention. Flick is the ideal coach to prevent it from occurring.
The no-nonsense German encourages an honest chemistry in the locker room and is not afraid to be tough on younger players.
At the age of 17, he elevated Jamal Musiala to Bayern Munich’s first squad. . As Yamal moves into the next phase of his development, he needs a mentor like that.
He will not be able to look away from the ball thanks to Flick, which is encouraging for Barcelona’s hopes of continuing on their outstanding campaign opening win.
Becoming a legend is my goal.
But Flick will not be able to keep Yamal safe from transfer rumors, especially if his brilliant form keeps up.
Super agent Andy Bara stated that Paris Saint-Germain had made an incredible summer window bid of €250 million (£211 million/$277 million) for Yamal prior to Barca’s most recent La Liga match.
Even after losing first-team players like Ilkay Gundogan, Sergio Roberto, Marcos Alonso, and young striker Marc Guiu.
The Catalan giants are still having difficulty cutting down on their exorbitant pay expenditure.
Although Yamal is regarded as an intangible asset, Barca notoriously lost Neymar to PSG in 2017.
And as long as their financial issues persist, there will be distracting rumors.
But Yamal is more clear about what he wants than Neymar want to get the €120 million (£101 million/$134 million).
Valuation that Transfermarkt has placed on him, since it would force him to quit the team. I aspire to be a legend, so I hope I never leave Barcelona.”
That will be welcome news for curers all throughout the nation. With multiple records already shattered while wearing the recognizable blue and garnet shirt, Yamal is poised to accomplish just that. Barca must, however, keep him content.
Following the volatile post-Messi era there appears to be hope for the future and Yamal appears to be a worthy successor.
But if Joan Laporta and the other members of the Barcelona board do not learn from their past errors and halt the off-field chaos that has consumed the team for far too long.
Doubts about their finest players will persist.
What comes next?
As the competition’s new 36-team league phase gets underway. Barcelona will travel to Monaco on Thursday to begin their 2024–25 Champions League campaign. With four home games and four away games, clubs will play eight different teams. The top eight finishers will advance to the round of 16.
The runners-up from the previous season, approaching. If Barcelona is to avoid being drawn into a nerve-wracking qualification struggle, its “difference-maker” needs to step forward once more.
Yamal participated in all ten of Barca’s Champions League matches last year. In a 3-1 victory over Napoli in the round of 16
he put on a show that stunned Owen Hargreaves a former midfielder for Manchester United and Bayern.
“This young man exudes confidence. “He is very exceptional,” Hargreaves told TNT Sports. “At sixteen, he should not be playing at this level.” He is not even worthy of starting for the squad. Joao Felix, a player worth £100 million, is sitting on the bench. This child has been really impressive, so he is on the bench.
After just seven months, Yamal is already the #1 player on the Blaugrana’s roster and a player worth £100 million.
On the basis of his presence alone barca must be regarded as the favorites in La Liga and legitimate Champions League candidates.
A player like Yamal only comes along once every generation while he may not be the next Messi he is still capable of leading one of the best teams in football in the long run.
