After Lamine Yamal shines vs Inter, Lautaro Martinez makes stance clear on comparisons between Barcelona ace and Lionel Messi
Following Barcelona's 3-3 draw against Inter Milan in the Champions League semifinal first leg on Wednesday (April 30), Lautaro Martinez has weighed in on the comparison involving Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal. The 27-year-old Argentine asserted that Messi is ‘incomparable’ and remains the greatest player of all time (GOAT).
In an interview after the draw in Catalonia, Martinez was quizzed about the comparison involving his legendary Argentine teammate and Yamal. He said (via Hindustan Times):
“For me, Leo [Messi] is incomparable, because Leo is and will always be the best player of all time. I'm not going to make that comparison. All I can say is that Lamine is an important player, we've all seen him, we all know him.”
During the game against Nerazzurri, Yamal was a menace in attack for the Camp Nou outfit. The Spaniard was the mastermind of La Blaugrana's comeback, having scored an emphatic goal in the 24th minute when they were trailing 2-0.
At age 17 years and 291 days, Yamal marked his 100th career club appearance and became the youngest player to score in a UCL semifinal. The Spaniard has bagged 24 assists and 15 goals in 49 games across competitions for the Catalan side this season.
Yamal's heroics have often led to fans comparing him to the Barcelona legend, La Pulga. However, Martinez has watered down the debate by declaring Messi the GOAT.
"I think he's a special player" - Barcelona manager on Lamine Yamal
Hansi Flick has lauded Yamal and called him a 'special player.' This came after the Spanish wonderkid put in a Player of the Match-worthy display in the 3-3 draw against Inter.
Reacting to Yamal's display in a post-match interview, Flick had the following to say (via Barca Universal on X):
"I think he's a special player. I've said it many times before, he's a genius... To do all that at 17 years old, he's an unbelievable player."
He added:
"Lamine has always done that. In the big games, he's there, showing how good he is. I think he enjoys these moments too."
Yamal remains an important figure in Flick's squad, as Barcelona look to end their 2024-25 campaign by winning a treble. With five games left in the LaLiga, Barca are four points ahead of title contenders Real Madrid. In the UCL, a victory against Inter in the second leg of the semifinals will secure them a spot in this season's final, which will be played in Munich.
