Lionel Messi or Lamine Yamal? Barcelona president Laporta addresses comparisons with bold GOAT statement

Just a few weeks ago, Barcelona announced that Lamine Yamal would be the new wearer of the iconic No. 10 jersey—long associated with Lionel Messi. That decision only fueled the growing comparisons between the two players, a topic club president Joan Laporta addressed in a recent interview.

“Lamine is Lamine Yamal, and Lionel Messi was Lionel Messi. Messi has been the best player in the world, and Lamine, I believe that in the current situation, is the best in the world,” Laporta said in a conversation with CNN.

The president of the Catalan side went on to explain what makes Yamal such a unique talent. “He’s the kind of player of which there are very few, because he’s a genius and is performing at the highest level,” said Joan. “Lamine has a lot of personality, like Messi—who, at the time, also had a lot of personality.”

The comparisons don’t stem only from the fact that both are standout players for Barcelona. Yamal is mirroring many of the early steps Messi took in his career: debuting at a very young age after coming through the club’s youth ranks, being a highly skilled left-footed winger, and taking on the iconic No. 10 shirt despite his age.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta.

Laporta knows both Messi and Yamal well

Joan Laporta is well positioned to speak on comparisons between Messi and Yamal, having been close to both players during similar phases in their careers. In fact, Lionel made his Barcelona debut in 2004 while Laporta was serving as club president—the same role Joan held when Lamine made his debut in 2023.

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Drawing from that experience, Laporta made an important distinction between the two. “Of course, Messi won everything. Messi did everything. For me, he’s probably the best player in history,” said the Barcelona president. Rather than diminishing Yamal, that statement clearly aims to temper expectations around the young talent in light of Messi’s massive legacy.

Yamal’s early games wearing the No. 10 shirt

Barcelona are currently on tour in Asia, playing a series of friendlies against clubs from the region. This past Sunday, they defeated Japan’s Vissel Kobe 3–1 in what was Yamal’s debut wearing the No. 10 jersey.

On Thursday, the Catalan side played their second preseason friendly. In Barcelona’s 7–3 win over FC Seoul, Lamine Yamal scored a brace before being substituted at halftime for Roony Bardhji.