For Raphinha, Lamine Yamal’s qualities are more comparable to Neymar’s than to Lionel Messi’s. What a week it has been for Lamine Yamal! Last Saturday, the young Spanish sensation starred in Barcelona’s stunning 4-0 victory over Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu, scoring his team’s third goal.
Just two days later, he traveled to Paris to receive the Kopa Trophy at the Ballon d’Or ceremony, recognizing him as the best player under 21. At just 17 years old, the Barcelona winger’s rapid rise since making his La Liga debut a year ago has been remarkable. Naturally, comparisons to Lionel Messi are already circulating in Spain.
However, his teammate Raphinha downplays that analogy, suggesting instead that Yamal resembles Neymar more: “Messi is in a league of his own. He’s indescribable. But I see more similarities with Neymar in Lamine, especially in his dribbling and how quickly he thinks ahead of his moves.
When you think you’ve got the ball off him, he does something you’ve never seen before,” the Brazilian said in an interview with El Pais. For Raphinha, Yamal’s skills bear more resemblance to Neymar’s than Messi’s, highlighting Messi’s unique nature: “Messi is extraordinary, he’s indescribable,” he added.
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