Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal has been told that a Lionel Messi-esque quality makes him a better player than Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior.
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Teenage forward breaking recordsBrazilian in line for Ballon d'OrGlobal audience being wowedFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Two superstar wingers plying their trade in La Liga are considered to form part of the global elite. Yamal has been breaking records since the age of 15 – and is a European Championship winner at 17 – while Vinicius is the strong favourite to walk away with Ballon d’Or honours in 2024.
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Both are capable of conjuring up moments of magic – much like Barca and Real icons Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo before them – but Yamal is considered to be the hotter of the two prospects. That is the opinion of former Spain international Marcos Senna, who has told : “They are both great players, but I like Lamine much more. The reason is that he has pace. When I was asked before who I preferred, Messi or Cristiano, I always preferred Messi because of that, because of the pace. He had more presence in the game. More diversity in passing… other things.”
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Senna, who savoured Euro 2008 glory with Spain, added on giving the nod to exciting teenager Yamal: “Vinicius sometimes makes passes that are brutal. The other day he gave one to Rodrygo with Espanyol that looked like [Luka] Modric had given it. But Lamine hits it much better and in one-on-ones, he catches the eye more. If he already had Vinicius ‘ speed he would be the perfect dribbler.”
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Yamal has been showcasing those talents again in 2024-25, registering five goals and six assists for Barca, and continues to earn obvious comparisons with fellow La Masia academy graduate Messi – despite being eager to play down talk of treading a similar path to the Argentine legend.