Lamine Yamal is not (and will never be) like Leo Messi
Despite the inevitable parallels, the Mataró player plays and lives life his own way
BarcelonaRivers of ink have flowed these days over a photograph that came to light two summers ago, on the occasion of the fascinating emergence, at just 16 years old, of Lamine Yamal in a major international tournament: a European Championship that the Spanish team ended up winning in England. The current impact, on the eve of a World Cup final, surpasses the initial one. In fact, there are even skeptics who suggest, in the midst of the explosion of artificial intelligence, that the image in question is a fake.
Although they are unfounded because we know the story, the conspiracies, from a distance, are understandable. Because it is remarkable 1) that a young Leo Messi bathed a baby named Lamine Yamal one fine day in 2007; 2) that almost 19 years later, one having become a legend and the other destined to be the best player in the world, they face each other to win a World Cup; 3) that both are idols for Barça fans from two different generations; and 4) that they are sons of La Masia, Barça's inexhaustible academy.
If destiny does not exist, it is very close. Because from that endearing splash with a rubber duck in a dressing room of the old Camp Nou, two football talents of planetary magnitude have emerged. The one who, in theory, is on his way out, Messi, is competing to win his second consecutive World Cup with a spectacular performance at 39 years old. He has accumulated eight goals and four assists and leads Argentina with the same thirst for glory he has shown for more than two decades to become the best player (and top scorer) in Barça's history and the footballer with the most Ballons d'Or (eight). 20 years younger is Lamine Yamal, the undisputed star of the current Barça team, who is in contention to be world champion with Spain. Although the muscle injury he suffered in April has somewhat overshadowed his role during the championship, whenever he steps on the pitch he is always a threat.
The focus is placed on similarities
The parallels between one and the other accumulate in a script worthy of the Disney factory. They debuted at Barça at a growing age, they started to hit it big with the number 19 on their backs and soon they saw themselves capable of changing it for the 10. Both tend to play on the right wing, cutting inside because they are left-footed, and they stand out for their balance, a prodigious vision of the game, privileged decision-making, and extreme precision when placing the ball where they want. All these abilities were honed in the La Masia ecosystem, through which other stars like Andrés Iniesta, Xavi Hernández, Gerard Piqué, Pau Cubarsí, or Dani Olmo have passed.
When talking about Messi and Lamine Yamal, the focus is placed on the similarities. But the differences, which are less publicized, also exist. In fact, the winger doesn't entirely feel comfortable with the comparison. And not because it pressures him, but because he wants to write his own story.
Strictly in terms of play, and beyond age (one is almost 40 years old and the other is not yet 20), Messi has always stood out for carrying the ball glued to his foot, as his compatriot Diego Armando Maradona did. The number 10 from Rosario has short, quick movements, dribbles without many frills, and resists the opponent's onslaught thanks to a very developed lower body. Lamine Yamal, on the other hand, bases his tricks on the elasticity, agility, and plasticity of each movement. He resembles the best Neymar, a footballer he has always idolized, and he expresses himself in longer strides than Messi, also making use of a superior height (181 centimeters, 11 more than the Argentine).
Another big difference is found in ball striking, especially when assisting. Messi has had his fill of looking for the space behind defenses with balls curled with the inside of his boot, usually from the right flank, drawing a parabola from outside to inside. With this technique and one or two more points of strength, he has also excelled in free-kick taking. On the other hand, Lamine Yamal has patented the outside strike, with a parabola from inside to outside that excites defenders and then frustrates them. Former Madrid player Luka Modrić also uses this technique a lot, called trivela. Messi is rarely remembered for it. On the other hand, Lamine Yamal also notably practices the curl, with room for improvement in free kicks.
At 19 years old, Lamine Yamal's current age, Messi was a very promising attacking midfielder, but had not yet unleashed his full goal-scoring capacity. The winger from Mataró, much more precocious, has two seasons as Barça's star and an aspirant for the Ballon d'Or, but it cannot be said if he will be as decisive as the Argentine, let alone if he can be for so long. He himself, in fact, rules himself out of continuing at the highest level when he is 40 years old. "Impossible, impossible. It requires a great desire," he stated a few days ago in an interview with El País. Such a mature point of view would not have been expressed by Messi at 19 years old. And this, more than anything else, shows that Lamine Yamal, despite La Masia, the photo of the century, and all the stories we want to tell, will grow up in his own way.
