Lamine Yamal has Neymar as his main reference

Lamine Yamal is a 16-year-old player of Moroccan descent who is a naturalized Spanish citizen. Today, he is one of the main players for Barcelona and the Spanish national team. Due to his good performance for the club and the national team, at such a young age, many compare him to Lionel Messi, the Catalan club's idol. Yamal, however, stated that he has always admired Messi, but does not like comparisons, and that although he has always appreciated the Argentine star's football, his eyes have always been on Neymar, his great idol.

Yamal loves watching Neymar play

Yamal gave an interview to “El Chiringuito”, a Spanish TV program, and spoke about what he thinks about the comparisons that are made involving his name and that of other stars: “These are comparisons that people make for themselves, but there is no one who can compare to Messi. I try to play my game and without pressure. I have always said that the best in history is Leo Messi, but the one I would like to see is Neymar.”.

In an interview with the Catalan newspaper “Mundo Deportivo” a few months ago, Yamal said how much Neymar inspired him and made him watch Barça games: “He made me watch Barcelona games. I had fun, it was a spectacle, it was great to see him play.”.

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_{Lamine Yamal playing against Georgia in the round of 16 of Euro 2024 (photo: reproduction/Getty Images Embed/Lars Baron)}

Yamal smashing it in the Euro

Lamine Yamal is currently playing for the Spanish national team at the Euros. The 16-year-old is a key player in his team and one of the highlights of this edition of the Euros, as well as becoming the youngest player to ever take to the field in the competition.

Yamal made his professional debut for Barcelona in April 2023, when he was 15 years old. In the last European football season, he had good numbers, playing 50 matches, scoring seven goals and providing seven assists. It was also in this last season that he was called up to the Spanish national team for the first time, by coach Luis de la Fuente.

As soon as he emerged, Yamal attracted attention for being a very fast and, above all, very skilled athlete, a great dribbler, just like Neymar in his days at Barcelona.

Featured photo: Lamine Yamal playing against Italy in the group stage of Euro 2024 (reproduction/Instagram/@lamineyamal)