“I have never seen this level of football from a 17-year-old” - Arsenal superstar Bukayo Saka in awe of Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal 

Arsenal superstar Bukayo Saka has lavished Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal following his wonderful showing against Inter Milan. The Spanish teenager set the stage on fire for the Blaugrana in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final, although the game ended 3-3.

Yamal scored a world-class solo goal and hit the woodwork on two occasions, tearing up the Nerazzurri's backline time and time again. The 17-year-old earned plenty of praise from fans, pundits and even fellow players following his stellar showing against Simone Inzaghi's side.

Arsenal right winger Bukayo Saka has now come out to praise the Barcelona youngster. The England international has labeled Yamal as an 'unreal' player for someone of his age. Saka said during an interview with Sky Sports, as quoted by Barca Universal:

“Lamine Yamal? He is unreal. In my life, I have never seen this level of football from a 17-year-old. What can we say about what he does."

At the age of just 17, Lamine Yamal has established himself as a key player for both club and country. He has already made 100 appearances for Barcelona scoring 22 times and providing 33 assists.

The youngster is having a brilliant season this time out under Hansi Flick as the Blaugrana chase the treble. He has 15 goals and 24 assists in 49 appearances across competitions this season. Yamal also played a pivotal role in helping Spain win the UEFA European Championship in 2024.

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Rio Ferdinand claims Barcelona youngster Lamine Yamal is better than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi at his age

Rio Ferdinand claimed that Barcelona youngster Lamine Yamal is better than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi at his age. The pundit waxed lyrical about the Spanish wonderkid following Barca's 3-3 draw against Inter Milan.

Ferdinand labeled Lamine Yamal as an 'artist' and insisted that he has never seen a better player than Yamal at his age. He also went on to claim that the youngster is better than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo at his age. The former Manchester United defender said, as quoted by TNT Sports:

"It was one of the best 45 minutes I've seen - definitely from a young player - but almost from any player I've seen live. It's just ridiculous what he's done. His ability to take people on. I think the thing that really caught my eye about him, other than the moments of brilliance, is that every part of his left foot was used in that game. He's an artist.

"At this age, he's ahead of Cristiano, he's ahead of Messi. His stats alone - he's had 100 appearances at 17! These guys were nowhere near that and he's dominating games, he's defining games."

Ferdinand added:

"The trophies that he's won, and he's been integral to winning those trophies for both club and country. He's on the cusp of maybe doing a treble for Barcelona and being one of the best players. At 17, we have not seen this. His confidence in games is there for all to see. What was great the other day was the press conference; he was so confident in the press conference that himself and Barcelona are in an era to dominate."

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are regarded among the greatest players of all time and dominated modern football for almost two decades. They both won plenty of trophies for their club and country and also won 13 Ballon d'Ors between them.