"I love this player" - Manchester United legend claims Lamine Yamal is better than Lionel Messi at his age
Manchester United icon Rio Ferdinand recently claimed that Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal is better than Lionel Messi was at his age. Yamal, 17, has risen to become one of the most prominent players for the Catalans.
Much like Lionel Messi, Lamine Yamal is a product of Barcelona's La Masia youth academy. The Spaniard made his senior team debut in a LaLiga game in April 2023 and quickly rose to become a regular starter for Barca at an early age. Yamal's immaculate ball control, dribbling, and playmaking capabilities have led to comparisons with Messi.
Moreover, Yamal predominantly plays as a right winger - a position the Argentine maestro has excelled in throughout his career. The 17-year-old has contributed 13 goals and 21 assists in 72 outings for La Blaugrana across competitions. However, the teenager is currently recovering from an ankle injury.
In an interview with reporters at the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai (held December 27), former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand waxed lyrical about Lamine Yamal. The teenager won the Best Emerging Player award at the Globe Soccer Awards.
Ferdinand said (via Barca Universal):
“I love Lamine Yamal. What a player. That’s why I’m here today. I want to see him, I want to hug him. I don’t want to say Lamine Yamal will become the best player of all time, but I think he can. Messi at this age? At 16? Lamine influences matches, he’s decisive, he scores goals, he plays beautiful football, he’s magical. I love him. I love this player seriously."
Lionel Messi made his debut for Barcelona in October 2004 in a 1-0 win over Espanyol in LaLiga when he was 17. In comparison, Lamine Yamal made his first team debut in April 2023 in a 4-0 win over Real Betis in LaLiga at 15.
This means Messi had just debuted for the first team at 17 (Yamal's current age) while Yamal has already represented the club for one-and-a-half seasons.
How many times has Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand faced Lionel Messi?
Rio Ferdinand and Lionel Messi have faced each other in four games, all of which were in the UEFA Champions League. The Argentine legend won twice and drew and lost one game each against the defender.
These games notably include the 2007-08 semi-finals (both legs) and the 2009 and 2011 UEFA Champions League finals. Messi's Barcelona won both finals while Ferdinand represented the Red Devils.
The first time Ferdinand faced Messi was during the 2007-08 UCL semi-finals where Manchester United won 1-0 on aggregate. The first leg ended in a 0-0 draw, while the second leg resulted in a 1-0 loss for Barcelona. Manchester United went on to win the UEFA Champions League title that season after defeating Chelsea 6-5 on pens following a 1-1 draw in the final.
Lionel Messi next faced Rio Ferdinand when Barcelona and Manchester United locked horns during the 2009 and 2011 UCL finals.
La Pulga notably scored once each in both finals, with Barcelona winning the title win 2-0 and 3-1 wins respectively. Messi's performances in both games are often considered among the best in his career.
