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Former Barcelona midfielder Mark van Bommel has claimed that Lamine Yamal is better than what Lionel Messi was at the age of 17. Van Bommel believes that the difference between the two lies in consistency and how the teenager manages to keep himself motivated.
Speaking to Voetbalzone, Van Bommel heaped praise on Yamal, saying he was more talented than Messi was at this age. But he was quick to add that the teenager's hardest part of the career was just about to start. He said (via GOAL):
"When Messi joined Barcelona's first team, he didn't play as many games in the beginning compared to Yamal now. So if you compare the two at that age, Yamal is better now. Maintaining this level in the long term is the hardest thing. Messi has been at this level for 20 years. That is exceptional.
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"If Yamal wants to catch up with Messi in terms of goals, he will have to score another 500 or so. That is almost 30 per season. Is Yamal the best in the world right now? No, he's not, but he's well on his way. I don't think there's one player who stands out above the rest right now, because there are just so many good players."
Lamine Yamal has already played 106 matches for the Barcelona first team, scoring 25 goals and assisting 34. At the age of 17, Lionel Messi had scored once in nine games for Barcelona.
Lamine Yamal better than Lionel Messi, claims former Barcelona coach
Former Barcelona star Ronald de Boer has revealed that Henk ten Cate, who was Frank Rijkaard's assistant coach when Lionel Messi made his debut, has termed Lamine Yamal the better player. He believes that the Spaniard has a head start in the battle with the Argentine, as the Inter Miami star began to improve only after turning 21.
He said (via GOAL):
"Wesley Sneijder got a message yesterday from Henk ten Cate. He was the assistant coach of Frank Rijkaard. He [Messi] made his debut under Rijkaard against Espanyol and said Yamal is further than Messi at this age. Messi really got kicking when he was 21, so at the moment he's further and better at this age than Messi when he was 16, 17, 18. The only difference for me is the consistency. Messi stayed on for 10, 12, 13 years on an unbelievable level. Can he do that? Can he keep the hunger? Can he stay fit? Can he stay with both feet on the ground?"
Lamine Yamal is in the running for the Ballon d'Or this season. Lionel Messi is playing at the FIFA Club World Cup and could make the top 30 if he manages to take Inter Miami deep into the tournament.
