As Lamine Yamal has acknowledged on more than one occasion, his idol is Neymar. They have similar playing styles, and the talented Spanish winger continues to draw inspiration from him to enhance his repertoire of dribbles.
Lamine Yamal has no ceiling, not even that of his idol. Despite being only 17 years old, he has no problem carrying the team on his shoulders. The player has shattered all expectations and is the main pillar of Barça de Flick.
Lamine's Outstanding Match against Betis
Just seeing Lamine live is worth the price of a ticket to the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. Proof of this was last Wednesday's match against Real Betis Balompié. Beyond scoring a goal and providing an assist—he scored another goal that was disallowed for offside—the current Golden Boy excelled brightly.
Most of Barça's attacking plays went through his cleats, and the team had a feast. Besides being an enormously unbalancing player, he plays with intelligence and composure beyond his years.
However, Manuel Pellegrini, Betis's coach, wanted to highlight the collective soccer of the blaugrana team in the post-match press conference:
"Not only is Lamine Yamal at a great level, but three, four, or five players, like Raphinha, Olmo, or Pedri, are going through a very good moment, and that is reflected in the results they are achieving on the field. I don't think this good play from Barcelona is just the work of one, but the work of a team."
Without a doubt, Barça is in a state of grace, which allows Lamine Yamal to feel supported and do his thing.
The Comparisons and Neymar's Message to His Outstanding Student
As always happens in the world of soccer, comparisons haven't been long in coming. Fortunately, the player doesn't seem to mind being compared to legends like Leo Messi or Neymar.
After the match against Real Betis, Lamine Yamal posted on Instagram a collection of the best photos from the match.
Neymar Junior was one of the celebrities who commented to praise his soccer. The comment already has more than 200,000 "likes": "You're very Brazilian 👏😂 dance star." There's no doubt he's a player touched by a magic wand, and even Neymar is amazed by his talent.