Lamine Yamal the new Messi? Barcelona forward has achieved more at 17

It is exactly 20 years since a 17-year-old Lionel Messi scored his first goal for Barcelona. Over the next 16 seasons, the Argentine made himself a legend with the Blaugrana, eventually netting 672 times, leaving as the club’s most decorated player and, in the eyes of many, the finest footballer to ever grace the game.

His exit was tramautic: he did not want to leave and fans were desperate for him to stay. Barça had the world’s best player, perhaps ever – he was theirs. And suddenly, he was gone. It would surely be many years before another generational talent like Leo emerged and the chances of that player being at the Catalan club also seemed slim. And yet, four years on, Barça do have another footballer who is already earning comparisons with Messi.

Much like the constant comparisons of emerging Argentine attackers with the great Diego Maradona, likening any player to Messi always seemed completely unfair. Perhaps it is still. There is, after all, a very long way to go for any footballer to achieve anything like what Messi has in his unbelievable career. But it is also true that Lamine Yamal at 17 years old is ahead of Messi at the same age. By some way, in fact On Wednesday night, Yamal’s stunning solo goal brought Barcelona back into the game against Inter after the Italians had taken a 2-0 lead early on at Montjuïc and made him the youngest-ever scorer in a Champions League semi-final at 17 years and 291 days of age. Kylian Mbappé had been the previous record holder, netting for Monaco against Juventus at 18 years and 140 days.

Remarkably, it was also Yamal’s 100th first-team appearance for Barcelona. In those matches, the teenage forward has hit 22 goals and 27 assists. By comparison, Cristiano Ronaldo had scored five times in 19 appearances at that age, with four assists. Messi, meanwhile, had played nine games with one goal and no assists. Two of the game’s greatest goalscorers of all time were just getting started, while Yamal is posting numbers which would be a source of pride for many players in their prime. Crazy to think he has been criticised on occasions for not scoring enough. He’s 17!

Yamal’s goal and sensational first 45 minutes on Wednesday earned him huge praise and comparisons with prime Messi, not 17-year-old Leo. And while he has obviously some way to go in order to justify those claims, he really was that good. At 17 years old. In a Champions League semi-final. It is already such a special story.