Lamine Yamal snubs Lionel Messi when naming his biggest 'idol' in football who was 'incredible' to watch

Lamine Yamal has opted against Lionel Messi when picking his biggest footballing idol and provided an update on his future.

Yamal has become the poster boy of the Catalan giants since becoming a regular in the side, and speaking to CNN the 17-year-old confirmed his desire to remain at the club.

“In the end, Barça is the club of my life. I hope to renew my contract with them and to be with them as long as possible," he explained.

“I want to play in the Spanish league. I want to play for Barça, and yes, I will renew my contract. I will.”

Yamal also revealed the Barcelona star he has always looked up to, but rather surprisingly overlooked Messi.

The 17-year-old instead claimed Neymar Jr was his favourite player growing up, with the Spaniard first watching him while he was still in Brazil.

“I was five years old when I saw him at Santos, but seven years old when I saw him in person at FC Barcelona at the Camp Nou,” he reminisces.

However, Yamal also gave Messi the credit he deserved but insisted the way Neymar played just gave the Brazilian the edge over the eight-time Balon d'Or winner.

“It was incredible to see him. Yes, it’s true that (Lionel) Messi was there who was also incredible, but he was something totally different," he continued.

“Neymar has always been my idol. He’s a star, a football legend.”

Neymar left Barcelona in 2017 after joining from Santos in 2013 and scored 68 La Liga goals in 123 appearances.

Neymar Jr for Barcelona in 2017 prior to his move to PSG-Getty

The winger won La Liga twice, the Copa del Rey three times, and the Champions League once during his time at the Nou Camp, famously scoring in the 2015 final of the latter.

During the interview, Yamal also broke his silence on the current title race in Spain and insisted his Barcelona teammates have what it takes to snatch the title back from Real Madrid.

“In the end, La Liga will be won against the teams we’ve previously lost to. I think it’s about focus. We’ve shown in the important moments that we are the best and we’ll continue to do so," he concluded.

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