Ballon d'Or winner: Yamal tipped to reach the top
Yamal has previously said of building his own legacy in world football, rather than claiming a share of Messi’s: “I’ve always tried to forge my own path. Of course, Messi is the greatest player in history for me, without a doubt. He’s left-footed, and so am I. He played for Barcelona, and I play for Barcelona. He played as a right winger, and so do I. We definitely have a lot in common, and that’s okay. I just want to carve my own path.
“He wrote his legendary story, and I hope to have a successful career like his. But more importantly, I want to play football my way, to write my own story, and to make people remember the name Lamine Yamal.”
He is expected to become an icon in his own right, with former Barcelona midfielder Emmanuel Petit suggesting that the youngster could go on to eclipse Messi’s record-breaking haul of Golden Balls.
The Frenchman told : “I think the Ballon d’Or is his main reason for wanting the number 10, he is already thinking about it, he is a tremendous footballer. I can’t name a player that has been as impressive as him at his age, every time he touches the ball something happens. You’d think he was 28 and in his prime.
“He dribbles past players like it’s the PlayStation and he makes defenders look like cones, he has such a high ceiling, he could become even better than Messi. Messi won eight Ballons d’Or, Yamal will have motivation to go even further, he’s a joy to watch.”
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Injury frustration: Yamal recovered from untimely knock
Yamal has seen his 2025-26 campaign disrupted by injury, with an untimely knock being picked up while on international duty with Spain. He sat out seven games for club and country as a result, but appears to be fit and firing at present.
He has claimed that a lot of “lies” were told during his enforced spell on the sidelines, with Barca managing his fitness carefully, with full focus now locked on delivering match-altering goals and assists.
Defending Liga champions Barcelona need him to do that on a regular basis, as they chase down Clasico rivals Real Madrid in another battle for domestic supremacy in Spain, with Hansi Flick’s side set to reach another international break after travelling to Celta Vigo on Sunday.
