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The Spaniard’s early rise to success and similar playing style to Lionel Messi have led fans to compare him to the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner. However, Italian Capello acknowledged Yamal’s brilliance, but iterated that the teenager is nowhere close to Messi’s level.
Fabio Capello. (X)
Italian football coach Fabio Capello has opened up on the never-ending comparisons between Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi. The young Barcelona winger has already established himself as one of the world’s best footballers despite being just 17 years old. The Spaniard’s early rise to success and similar playing style to Messi have led fans to compare him to the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner. Capello weighed in on this conversation during a recent interview with MARCA.
“He’s [Lamine Yamal] an extraordinary, spectacular, top player, but he doesn’t have Messi’s genius,” the Italian tactician said, as per Barca Universal.
While Capello claimed Yamal was nowhere close to Messi’s level, he acknowledged the upcoming star was delivering crucial performances for Barcelona. “He’s a kid who is doing important things,” Capello said. “When he started at Barcelona, it was said that he was the new Messi. He doesn’t reach that level,” the Italian manager added.
Just like Messi, Yamal rose from the ranks of Barcelona’s famed youth academy, La Masia. He is also a right-winger with a steady left foot. Moreover, Yamal has exceptional ball control and dribbling skills, which allow him to have a lot of impact on the match. Yamal has appeared 86 times for the senior team and has scored 18 goals while providing 23 assists. He won the UEFA Euro crown with Spain last year, beating England 2-1 in the final.
Yamal recently spoke about his form in an interview with UEFA. The Spaniard revealed he was focused on enjoying himself on the pitch and continuing to entertain fans.
“I don’t focus on whether someone else has more or less than me. When I watch another team’s football match, I want to enjoy myself, I want to see players who face each other,” Yamal said, as per Barca Blaugranes.
“That’s what I try to do when people come to the stadium, to see an entertaining match. In the end, it’s about enjoying myself so that people enjoy themselves,” he added.
Yamal’s performances last season saw him ranked eighth in the coveted Ballon d’Or rankings. His showings helped him win the Golden Boy Award and the Kopa Trophy. During Barcelona’s La Liga fixture against Deportivo Alaves last month, Yamal completed 11 out of 21 attempted dribbles. It saw him break Messi’s long-standing record of 10 successful dribbles in 20 attempts, which he achieved in 2007 against Mallorca. The 17-year-old now has his eyes trained on winning the La Liga crown with the Blaugranas this season.
