For over 15 years, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo dominated the soccer world, but their absence from this year’s Ballon d’Or ceremony has left fans and pundits eagerly speculating about who will take up the mantle. With several young stars emerging, a former Real Madrid player and Spanish teammate has now singled out Lamine Yamal as their natural successor.

Álvaro Morata, who shared the locker room with Ronaldo during Real Madrid’s UEFA Champions League victories in 2014 and 2017, recently lifted the 2024 EURO trophy with Yamal, who was one of the standout players. In an interview with The Athletic, Morata was effusive in his praise for the teenager, predicting that Yamal has the potential to become Spain’s greatest-ever player.

“Every 20 or 30 years one or two emerge like Cristiano and Messi. For me, he’s got everything it takes to make history. I’m convinced that if he doesn’t become the greatest player in Spain’s history, he’ll definitely be one of them. He already made history with us by winning the Euro. He was 16 when the tournament started…,” the striker said.

Morata also highlighted Yamal’s maturity despite his young age: “He’s got a very clear idea about what he wants to do. He’s got a lot of personality and has everything in front of him. Honestly I’ve never seen anything like it. I’ve never seen a player like it. One training session was enough to realize he’s different, that’s he one of the ‘fenomeni‘.”

“…I hope he keeps this up because he’s my team-mate, because he can make me win more things with the national team and because my kids want to meet him, get to know him, go watch the games and all that,” Morata added, eager to see the young Barcelona star make his mark in soccer.

Yamal’s age and early achievements compared to Messi

Lionel Messi made his professional debut for FC Barcelona at 17 years and 114 days old against Espanyol in 2004. As of today (11/4/2024), Lamine Yamal has matched that age milestone. However, Yamal has already accumulated 82 senior appearances and won two major trophies—the 2022-23 La Liga title and the 2024 EURO—surpassing Messi’s early career achievements at Barcelona.

This season, Yamal has established himself as one of the starters in coach Hansi Flick system. The winger has played in 15 games, scoring six goals and providing eight assists, helping position Barcelona as serious title contenders in La Liga.