The Barcelona winger is already doing things in the professional game that demand comparison with Lionel Messi and Pele

 Lamine Yamal has always looked up to Lionel Messi. The Barcelona legend was - and remains - his one and only idol. "I never had another," Yamal admitted to Tuttosport. "I once took a photo with him. I was unknown."

 He wasn't just unknown, though; he was still only a baby, just a few weeks old when he and his mother partook in a 2007 photoshoot organised by SPORT for a charity calendar. But that image of a 20-year-old Messi bathing an infant Yamal has already assumed iconic status. The symbolism is almost too perfect: it's as if Messi is anointing his heir, baptising Barca’s next messiah.

“What we’re seeing here is something very, very special. How special, we will have to wait and see. To do what he is doing, I can’t quite get my head around it. Some kids live up to the expectations, a lot don't. But with this kind of talent, I would be surprised if we don’t see some kind of greatness."

 In truth, Yamal's performances during the 2024-25 campaign have made the Messi comparisons utterly unavoidable.Indeed, this season Yamal has become so important to Barca that they don't look anything like the same side without him in the starting line-up, as underlined during his short spells on the sidelines, in November and December.

 A little perspective is also required. Yamal has 29 direct goal involvements in all competitions - that would be a fantastic figure at this stage of the campaign for a proven performer, let alone a teenager still learning his trade.