A new Max Verstappen is on the block, not in F1 but in soccer. Spain’s 17-year-old midfielder, Lamine Yamal, with an electrifying performance in the UEFA Euro 2024, has taken the world by surprise. He took home the Young Player of the Tournament award and is already touted as one of the upcoming greats by pundits and players. Also a right winger for Barcelona FC, Yamal has picked Number 19 as his jersey number for the upcoming 2024-25 season, previously worn by Lionel Messi between 2005-08. The youngster has also given hope to F1’s reigning 3-time champion Verstappen, who is a diehard Barcelona fan.

In the 2023-24 La Liga season, Real Madrid trumped then-defending champions Barcelona to take the title. With French World Cup winner Kylian Mbappé joining the squad this year, Real Madrid could easily defend its crown. Though rival Lamine Yamal doesn’t have the Frenchman’s experience, the Spaniard’s goal against France in the Euro 2024 semifinal knocked the Mbappe-led side out of the tournament. Max Verstappen, who was declared an upcoming champion at a similar age as Yamal, has spoken about this match-up at the Hungarian GP weekend.

“It’s going to be a tough year, I guess, if you see how Madrid is strengthening and lining up with all the players they have,” the Red Bull driver said, as quoted by Marca. “I mean, of course, I’ll always be a Barcelona fan, no matter what. It will be a difficult season again because they must try to beat Madrid. But you always have to believe,” he added, giving his favorite team some motivation. “Barca also have a good team and now with the new coach, you never know what can happen.”

Verstappen also spoke about the young man of the moment in the soccer world. “Lamine is incredible. I mean, at that age, playing for your country’s national team and performing like he did at the Euros is something I really enjoyed watching,” he said.

The Dutchman’s comments show how he has opened up to stars from other sporting universes. Earlier, he had “zero interest” in meeting famous people. But meeting the late Johan Cruyff, a soccer icon from his home country, changed his attitude, and the course of his life.

How Netherlands soccer icon Johan Cruyff’s mentality changed Max Verstappen’s destiny

Johan Cruyff was the captain of the Netherlands soccer team in the 1970s. Home of ‘Total Football’, the Dutch national team was tactically ahead of its time. Despite the play style’s complex nature, their synergy created poetry in motion on the soccer field. Interestingly, in 2019, Max Verstappen concurred with how “Cruyff didn’t overcomplicate things”.

The 3-time champion also likened his driving style to playing football. “Ultimately, football is played with a ball and feet,” he told the Telegraph, adding, “I see F1 like that. I need to jump in the car and drive as fast as I can. I have a throttle, a brake pedal, and a steering wheel. Saying that you need to be at the perfect body temperature, or that you need to drink exactly the right amount of water, I hate that stuff.”

Back in 2016, Verstappen also had the privilege of meeting Cruyff, who described him as “extremely talented and intelligent”. Unfortunately, the Dutch legend died of Cancer the same year, two months before his compatriot’s first F1 victory.

In 2023, Dutch racer Giedo van de Garde declared Verstappen had become a bigger athlete than Cruyff in the Netherlands. Cruyff would’ve been proud to witness the 3-time champion’s journey and rooting for him to outclass the world’s best. Today, the Red Bull driver is en route to his 4th F1 world championship. At the Hungarian GP this weekend, he’ll aim to take his third consecutive victory at the Hungaroring against a hungry McLaren and Mercedes.