Acknowledging Lionel Messi as the greatest, Barcelona’s young sensation Lamine Yamal also made it clear—he wants to write his own story.
He’s scoring stunning goals, setting up his teammates, and constantly proving to be decisive in big moments. The way Yamal is shining at such a young age, expectations around him are only growing. But how does he feel about all of this?
Despite the praise and rising comparisons, Yamal remains unfazed. Especially when it comes to comparisons with Lionel Messi—something he has rejected more than once. After helping Barcelona reclaim the La Liga title with a win over Espanyol, Yamal shared his thoughts.
As always, he crowned Messi as the best. But that doesn’t mean he lacks ambition. Yamal wants to fly high on his own journey.
“Messi is the best, but I want to write my own story.”
And he’s racing ahead on that journey. While not flawless, it’s been a season of major progress. In the 2–0 win over Espanyol, which clinched La Liga for Barça, Yamal opened the scoring with a brilliant goal and later assisted Fermín López’s strike that sealed the win.
The academy graduate’s post-match message carried the hunger of youth and a fierce drive to reach the top.
“To the Barça fans, I want to say this is just the beginning. I can’t get tired of winning. That mindset is permanently in my head.”
At just 17, Yamal already has two La Liga titles, a Copa del Rey, and a Spanish Super Cup with Barcelona, as well as a European Championship trophy with Spain.
With a heart full of dreams, Yamal also expressed gratitude to former Barcelona coach Xavi, the man who believed in him early on.
“It’s like a dream come true. Winning La Liga with Barça is an unbelievable joy, but in terms of what we want to achieve, this is only the beginning.”
“We’re extremely grateful to Xavi. None of this would’ve happened without him. He gave so many young players their debut, and I want to thank him from here for that.”
Yamal’s goals don’t stop there. He’s already established himself as a key part of the Barcelona squad this season—playing in 33 of 36 league matches, scoring 8 goals, and providing 15 assists. With a direct hand in 23 goals, he set a La Liga record as the youngest player to ever reach that combined total in a single season.
He was instrumental in key wins over Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid, and he’s determined to keep the momentum going.
“I don’t think about anything except contributing to my club’s success. I don’t care what people outside say. I stay focused on the match—and I’ll keep doing this for my club, consistently.”
