Lamine Yamal’s meteoric rise to the top of world soccer has been unprecedented. At just 18 years old, he is already established as a star for both Barcelona and Spain, while being widely recognized as one of the best players on the planet. His teammate Dani Olmo shared his thoughts on the inevitable comparisons with Lionel Messi.
“Lamine has his own path, and he knows it. Comparing him to Messi is crazy,” Olmo said honestly during a press conference shared by Sport on Tuesday, ahead of Barcelona’s decisive UEFA Champions League clash against FC Copenhagen.
After making it clear that it makes no sense to put Yamal on Messi’s level right now, Olmo was quick to emphasize how highly he values his young teammate. “Lamine is spectacular. He gives us a lot, and he’s going to give us much more in the future. We’re here to help him, to make him better. If he plays well, the team will win. This is a collective effort,” the Spanish midfielder said.
Finally, Olmo took time to joke about the stunning goal Yamal scored last Sunday against Real Oviedo in La Liga. In that play, Lamine netted his team’s third goal with an acrobatic finish after an assist from Olmo. “No one’s going to say anything about the pass, right?” the former Leipzig player said with a laugh.
FC Barcelona’s Dani Olmo.
Olmo has something that could belong to Yamal
Dani Olmo and Lamine Yamal are not only creative partners at Barcelona, they are also teammates on the Spain national team. Between 2024 and 2025, they have played 11 matches together at international level, including friendlies, Euro 2024, the UEFA Nations League, and World Cup qualifiers. During that stretch, they combined directly on two goals, both coming from Yamal assists finished by Olmo.
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Beyond the chemistry they show on the field, Dani Olmo currently holds something Lamine Yamal could inherit in the near future: Spain’s No. 10 shirt. Olmo has worn the number for the past couple of years after inheriting it from Marco Asensio, who wore it at the 2022 World Cup, while Yamal usually wears No. 19.
However, Yamal’s growing profile and the fact that he wears the No. 10 shirt at Barcelona — not Olmo — make the young winger the leading candidate to eventually take over that number for Spain as well. It remains to be seen whether that becomes reality ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
