Pep Guardiola has opened up on Lamine Yamal's chances of eventually replacing Lionel Messi as the GOAT footballer and his response was telling.
Messi played under Guardiola for four years at FC Barcelona from 2008 to 2012 and formed part one of the world's greatest-ever teams.
Together, they beat Manchester United in two Champions League finals and dominated Spanish football.
During that era, Messi won four successive Ballon d'Or awards before going on to win a record number of eight overall.
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Barcelona have struggled to replace the void left by Messi, with Ansu Fati having the misfortune of being the next player to be given the famed number 10 shirt, only to fail to live up to the lofty expectations set by that shirt number.
Although Fati struggled, Yamal is Barcelona's latest big hope and appears the closest thing yet to an heir apparent for Messi, having emerged over the last couple of seasons to establish himself as one of the best players in Europe.
He ended last season with 18 goals and 25 assists, dazzling fans with several impressive performances in Barcelona's run to the Champions League semi-finals.
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His rise has led many football fans to speculate whether Barcelona have finally landed their successor to Messi - and whether or not he has what it takes to even usurp him in the game.
And the latest to weigh in on his chances was the current Manchester City manager Guardiola.
In an interview with Héctor Izquierdo, he said: "I think Lamine Yamal should be allowed to develop his career.
"And when he's been playing for 15 years, we'll decide if he's better or worse.
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"Let him develop his career. And the fact that he's being compared to Messi is a big deal.
"Like if you compare a painter to Van Gogh, they'll say, wow, he's not bad, it's a sign he's good.
"And that comparison is a sign he's good. But we have to let him develop his career. And we'll see."
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Messi himself has been full of praise for Yamal during the infant stages of his career.
Back in April he said: “It’s impressive what Lamine Yamal shows… he’s already been a Euro champion with Spain.
He’s one of the best in the world.
“He’s still only 17, he’s in a growth process, and he’ll continue to grow as a player and add things to his game, just like I did.
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“He has incredible qualities”.
Yamal has already featured in two victorious La Liga champions with Barcelona and lifted the Copa del Rey.
He also tasted success with the Spanish national team in 2024, when they beat England 2-1 in the Euro 2024 final.
He played a vital role for Spain and at the time was just 17, scoring the goal of the tournament and winning the young player award.
Topics: Football, Lamine Yamal, Lionel Messi, Pep Guardiola, Barcelona, La Liga
James Taylor