Lionel Messi names his successor as the 'best' footballer in the world

Lionel Messi, to many football fans around the world, is the greatest player to ever play the sport and could still be argued to be amongst the best still competing today.

However, his time at the top will be coming to an end as he edges closer and closer to retirement, and with that, the mantle of the best footballer in the world will be passed to someone else.

The Argentine has been recognised as the best in the modern game with the eight Ballon d'Ors that he has lifted in his career, more than any other player.

Cristiano Ronaldo is his closest competitor, who lifted five of the individual accolade.

Messi was just 22 years and 160 days old when he won the first award in 2009, making him the third-youngest player to win the Ballon d'Or; only Michael Owen and Brazilian striker Ronaldo have been younger when earning it.

Messi

This signalled the start of Messi’s career at the top of the sport, one which would see him achieve incredible success, including lifting the World Cup, four Champions Leagues and 10 La Liga titles.

Now, at a recent event with Adidas, per Diario Sport, Messi was asked which player from this new generation most reminded him of himself in his early days and could become the best player in the world.

The Argentine responded with the name of a player who is set to lift his second La Liga title this season to add to his European Championship.

Messi said: “There's a new generation of footballers who are very good and have many years ahead of them, but if I have to choose one because of his age, what he's done so far, and the future he can have, it's Lamine [Yamal]. There's no doubt, for me he's the best.”

Yamal most recently won the Laureus Young Sportsperson of the Year award, recognising him as the best young athlete under the age of 21 globally. While he would finish runner-up to PSG’s Ousmane Dembele at the 2025 Ballon d'Or.

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These accolades will have helped sway the 38-year-old’s decision, but it would have been an easy one for his heart to select Yamal as his successor, as while there are plenty of options to select for the title, Lamine Yamal is currently wearing Barcelona’s number 10 jersey while he excites the Camp Nou crowd.

Messi did this for 17 years of his senior career and helped to bring an incredible amount of success to the Catalan club, something that Yamal wants to emulate in his career. Whether he can do that, time will tell, but the Argentine believes that the Spanish international certainly can.