Rio Ferdinand believes Barcelona’s 17-year-old wonderkid Lamine Yamal is already the best player in the world.
Yamal starred in Barcelona’s thrilling 3-3 draw with Inter Milan on Wednesday night as he scored a stunning solo goal to bring the Catalan giants back into the game after they had fallen 2-0 down inside 21 minutes.
The winger continued to cause Inter problems all night, and Ferdinand took to X after the match to heap praise on the teenage sensation.
‘As a pure football talent I’m going as far as to say I think Lamine Yamal is on another level to any player playing the game in the top 5 leagues in world football,’ Ferdinand wrote.
’17yrs old – Truly unbelievable.’
Despite Yamal being the youngest player on the pitch, Barcelona constantly turned to him for inspiration in Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final first leg.
Rio Ferdinand has crowned 17-year-old Barcelona star Lamine Yamal as the best player on the planet
Yamal scored a stunning solo goal in Barcelona’s 3-3 draw with Inter on Wednesday
Ferdinand feels Yamal has more ‘pure talent’ than any other player in world football
Speaking on co-commentary for TNT Sports, Ferdinand was blown away by Yamal’s fearlessness as he grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck and consistently made things happen for his team.
After Yamal scored and then hit the bar shortly afterwards in the first half, Ferdinand exclaimed: ‘This kid the taking the mick. He is taking liberties on the biggest stage.
‘Every time Barcelona get the chance to open them up, they look to the youngest player in their team.’
Ferdinand added further praise after full time, as he admitted it was a privilege to watch Yamal in the flesh.
Ferdinand told TNT Sports: ‘We were sitting just behind where Yamal was doing his damage and mesmerising the stadium, the amount of times he had the ball and impact the play, every facet was on show and it was beautiful to be here and be a part of.’
Barcelona’s hopes of reaching the Champions League final hang in the balance after Wednesday’s first leg, but they have Yamal to thank for keeping them in the tie.
Inter got off to a dream start when Marcus Thuram flicked home the opening goal inside 30 seconds, and 20 minutes later they doubled their lead through a spectacular Denzel Dumfries acrobatic effort.
Yamal pulled a goal back, and Ferran Torres brought Barcelona level before half time, but Dumfries got his second of the game to restore Inter’s lead after the interval as Hansi Flick’s men struggled to cope with set-pieces.
Yamal caused Inter problems all night and Ferdinand claimed he was ‘taking the mick’ at times
Yamal was the player that brought Barcelona back into the game after their horror start
His stunning performance came after he suffered an injury scare in the warm-up
Barcelona rescued a draw when Raphinha’s fierce strike rattled the crossbar and went in off Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer.
It was a gripping match, but there was no doubting who the star individual was, and it all came after Yamal’s participation was placed into doubt just before kick-off.
Yamal was seen leaving Barcelona’s warm-up early after appearing to suffer an injury scare, but he was declared fit to make his 100th club appearance.
He proceeded to deliver on the biggest stage, and Ferdinand now feels he should be a frontrunner for the Ballon d’Or.
This season’s Ballon d’Or race is the one of the most open in years, with several candidates in the mix to receive the honour.
Mohamed Salah has played a huge role in Liverpool winning their 20th league title, but the Reds were eliminated from the Champions League in the round of 16 which could dent his chances.
Ousmane Dembele has also emerged as a serious contender after scoring 25 goals in the opening months of 2025 for PSG, while Yamal’s Barcelona team-mate Raphinha has also had an excellent campaign to keep his team in contention for a historic Treble.
Mohamed Salah is a strong Ballon d’Or contender after leading Liverpool to the title
Yamal’s team-mate Raphinha has also been exceptional for Barcelona this season
But Ferdinand thinks Yamal – who made his 100th Barcelona appearance on Wednesday – is the best of the lot
Yamal was out of action for two months earlier in the season due to injury which may count against him in the final reckoning.
But he has still recorded 39 goal contributions in 49 appearances this season, and, remarkably, he does not turn 18 until July.
