Ex-Atletico Madrid Manager Refers to Lionel Messi as ‘Rat’ While Drawing Parallels to Barcelona’s 16-Year-Old Talent Lamine Yamal

Fresh off a goalless draw against Athletic Club, FC Barcelona’s game against Mallorca was expected to end similarly. It was nil-nil until the 73rd minute, but Spanish wonder kid Lamine Yamal had other plans. The youngest FC Barcelona player scored a great individual goal and stopped Mallorca from walking away with all 3 points. His display even earned him a Lionel Messi comparison by Javier Aguirre, who also once coached Atletico Madrid.

In the post-match presser, Aguirre revealed how Lamine Yamal reminded him of the 8x Ballon d’Or winner. He said (translated via Google), “The first time I saw Lionel Messi play, it was before 21 years ago. I saw him for 5 minutes, he was like a rat, Lamine Yamal looks like that too. He is very young. I know that this club works very well with young people. If he continues like this, he will give Barca a lot of happiness.” On paper, the word ‘rat’ might not seem the best way to describe someone as iconic as Messi. However, he seems to be referring to their mental profiles.

A young Lionel Messi was incredibly tenacious on the pitch and often proved too difficult for the opposition to handle. Likewise, Lamine Yamal offers a similar challenge to the opponents. Having made his debut for FC Barcelona, at the age of 15, Yamal has benefitted from the Culers’ focusing on promoting young talents. Along with the likes of Gavi, Fermin Lopez & Pau Cubarsi, Yamal has transitioned from La Masia to the first team.

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Alongside 14 La Liga starts, the Spanish star has 4 goals and 6 assists this season. Without a doubt, the numbers are impressive enough to earn the 16-year-old a Lionel Messi comparison. However, this is a comparison that the Catalan club’s manager Xavi is not too keen on.

Lionel Messi ‘should not’ be compared with Lamine Yamal, asserts Xavi

In his post-match interview, Xavi stated that he understood Aguirre comparing Yamal with Lionel Messi. However, Xavi feels the comparisons are futile as he remarked, “Anyone will lose when compared to Messi.” He added, “We’re talking about the best player in the history of this sport. He should not be compared to others.” However, that didn’t stop Xavi from praising the youngster’s impact on the night.

‘Differential’ was the word FC Barcelona’s manager used to describe the 16-year-old’s display against Mallorca. The Spanish manager added, “Today he wasn’t so good in the one-on-ones and he wasn’t having his best day, but he cut the ball back and scored a great goal.” As a result of this goal, the Catalan club find themselves just 5 points behind Real Madrid and just ahead of Girona & Atletico Madrid, keeping themselves alive in the title race.

Do you agree with Aguirre’s Lionel Messi-Lamine Yamal comparison? Tell us below in the comments.

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