Lamine Yamal picks Arsenal star as ‘favourite’ player outside Barcelona after joining Lionel Messi and Lebron James in mega endorsement
Teenage sensation Lamine Yamal recently named Arsenal star Bukayo Saka as his favorite player outside Barcelona. Yamal disclosed his admiration for the English winger and expressed his desire to play in two of the Premier League's most iconic stadiums.
The Barcelona youngster is currently one of football's most highly-rated stars, and has seen his valuation increase significantly with his top display in the ongoing campaign. Yamal recently signed a mega endorsement deal with Beats by Dre, following in the footsteps of Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, and NBA star LeBron James to become an ambassador for the famous American brand.
Speaking during this partnership, the 17-year-old about his admiration for Saka. When asked what other players outside Barca he likes, Yamal said (via GOAL):
"Right now, outside of Barca, I think [Ousmane] Dembele or Bukayo Saka are doing really well."
He also spoke about the stadium he would love to play at, mentioning Manchester United's Old Trafford and Liverpool's Anfield.
"There are so many I’ve yet to experience, especially outside of Europe. In Europe, some of the iconic ones I'd like to play in are Old Trafford and Anfield," Yamal added.
Yamal is slowly becoming the face of Barcelona and Spanish football. He has been compared to Lionel Messi as both players are products of the famous La Masia academy and share a similar elegant style of play.
This season, Yamal has been instrumental to La Blaugrana's success, contributing 15 goals and 24 assists in 51 games across competitions. They were recently eliminated from the UEFA Champions League semifinal by Inter Milan, but have already secured the Supercopa de España and Copa del Rey. Hansi Flick's side are also within touching distance of clinching LaLiga with four games left to go.
David Beckham on whether Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal can reach Lionel Messi's level
David Beckham has opined that Barcelona star Lamine Yamal can be as good as Lionel Messi in the future. The 17-year-old's talent has seen him being compared to the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner
Speaking recently, the Inter Mimai co-owner said about Yamal's comparison to Messi (via The Mirror):
"You see the way he plays, and at 17 years old, to be doing the things that he's doing on a pitch. Only every 20, 30 years does a player like that come along, and maybe longer than that. He's the first player that you look at and you can… I mean, you can't compare anyone to Messi, in my opinion. But he's the closest thing that I have seen. One day, I believe that he could be as good as Leo."
Yamal himself recently downplayed the Messi-comparism, stating that he admires the Barcelona legend and looks up to achieving great things for the club like he did.
