Olaleye Idowu
Former Real Madrid star David Beckham has said that Barça youngster Lamine Yamal can be as good as Lionel Messi one day.
Yamal came to the limelight last season with Barcelona and has taken his game to a higher level this year.
Yamal, a young Spain international, is now an indispensable part of the Catalans’ starting XI, scoring 15 goals and providing 24 assists from 51 games this season.
At 17, Yamal has won the European Championships, and this season, he already has the Copa del Rey and the Supercopa de España titles.
Barcelona are also leading the LaLiga title race as well.
Yamal’s efforts have already seen him compared to Barcelona’s most famous star, Lionel Messi.
Speaking on Beckham and Friends, as cited by The Mirror, Beckham said Yamal is the “closest thing” to Lionel Messi at the moment.
“You see the way he plays, and at 17 years old, to be doing the things that he’s doing on a pitch — only every 20, 30 years does a player like that come along, and maybe longer than that.
“He’s the first player that you look at and you can… I mean, you can’t compare anyone to Messi, in my opinion.
“But he’s the closest thing that I have seen. One day, I believe that he could be as good as Leo,” Beckham said.
Yamal is contracted to Barcelona until 2026, but he is expected to sign a new deal once he turns 18 this summer.
