Lamine Yamal: La Masia’s prodigy

La Masia is a name synonymous with fostering the next generation of footballing talent. It has produced the likes of Lionel Messi, Iniesta, and Xavi: now, Lamine Yamal is the next in the production line. It is strange to think that the videos circulating of a 12-year-old Yamal ripping it up at the youth level were during the Covid era and that only a few years later he would be using that same deft footwork to beat some of the world’s best left-backs.

Football fans wouldn’t be football fans if they saw the things Yamal is doing (and the age at which he is doing them) and didn’t immediately draw comparisons to Messi, Ronaldo, and other footballing greats. It is almost as if we hope the youngsters become the embodiment of the old and we can relive their career through them. As much as the comparisons to their idols would be well received by the player, albeit with a modest response along the lines of “no no, I am nowhere near his level” or a nervous laugh and shake of the head, they bring about a weight of expectation.

Yamal’s comparisons to Messi come more from his ability at such a young age than a similarity to his style of play

Yamal’s comparisons to Messi come more from his ability at such a young age than a similarity to his style of play. Yamal may not have Messi’s slaloming run style but is extremely strong in a 1v1. He may not have Messi’s natural goal scoring ability, at least not yet, but already he possesses the skill to put a ball on a dime. What is clear is that Yamal will not be the next Messi but something different.

Bojan Krkić is a name that has fallen into depths of football obscurity, but as a teenager he too had been dubbed the next Messi. After a four-year stint in Barcelona’s first team, he journeyed to Italy, the Netherlands, England, and Germany before finishing his career in the J.League. Krkić managed only 38 goals outside his Barcelona career and is the epitome of a failed talent who never reached the greatness promised to him, leading fans to ask if Yamal will suffer the same fate. The fact that Yamal is beginning to already prove himself on the world stage, something that Krkić never did, suggests that his career will be different.

It is Yamal’s performances for Spain in the recent European Championships, however, that have shown just how good he really is, as he became the youngest ever player, goalscorer, and winner

His performances this season for Barcelona have been a light in a dark period, as Xavi’s tenure at his boyhood club has come to an end. It is his performances for Spain in the recent European Championships, however, that have shown just how good he really is, as he became the competition’s youngest ever player, goalscorer, and winner. Yamal’s sublime finish against France may top his highlights reel, but it was his crossing ability that was Spain’s biggest threat, and it was an ability that saw him top the assist charts with four assists. His pinpoint cross that found Carvajal to open Spain’s campaign against Croatia was an early indicator of what was to come, and as the tournament progressed he grew into his role as Spain’s poster boy. The next couple of seasons will be important for Yamal, as he attempts to navigate the new-found pressures from his stellar Euros performance – get through them unscathed and he’ll be one of the very best.

“He is special”: those were the words said by Xavi after handing Yamal his Barcelona debut; they were also the words echoed by fans, pundits, and players as he lifted the trophy that has catapulted him into Spanish stardom. It is expected that these words will accompany him for the rest of his career.