Besides Barcelona, will Europe ever watch Lionel Messi playing a professional match again on their continent? Even though much speculation exists among fans about his loan to Europe, Lionel Messi’s decisions depend only on himself. Now, a nation’s coach has compared a teenager to Messi because of their similar talent. With Messi’s hopes of going to Barcelona on hold, Europe hopes to see a similar player in action.
With teams on the verge of the next Euros, the qualifiers are set to resume this week. Ahead of the international break, one player has come into the limelight.
National team coach displeases club after comparing player to legends
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Spain’s 16-year-old, Lamine Yamal, was compared to Messi and Diego Maradona by the national team coach, which resulted in FC Barcelona getting upset.
Spanish manager Luis de la Fuente said, “We have to take care of him. He is young. But, do you remember when Messi or Maradona were 16 years old? We should not put limits on such footballers. We must let them develop all their potential. That’s what we’re trying to do with this player here and at his club.”
❗ Barcelona did not like Spain coach Luis de la Fuente's words on Lamine Yamal in yesterday's press conference.
de la Fuente said: "We have to take care of him, he is young. But, do you remember when Messi or Maradona were 16 years old? We should not put limits on such… pic.twitter.com/MEyXZ5cVJw
— Barça Buzz (@Barca_Buzz) October 7, 2023
Fuente put the young Spaniard in high regard in a recent press conference. This attention for the still-young Yamal seemed to disappoint the $5.508 billion Spanish club. The youngster made his debut for Spain in the recent round of qualifiers. Messi, at 16 years old, made his debut for Barcelona B, while Maradona had already made his international debut.
The Catalan team feels that this pressure would be unnecessary for the player, who is the youngest player to debut for Spain. But the coach believes that they should nurture such potential, just like they did with the two Argentine legends.
Lionel Messi and his return to Barcelona hangs in the balance
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With Yamal showing brilliant ability with the ball, fans would like to see Messi play with him.
But the chances look low as there has been no such talk. Inter Miami coach, Tata Martino, recently denied any knowledge about Messi’s plans at the moment.
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With the upcoming matches against Scotland and Norway, Spain will look to make progress into a better position. Placed 2nd in group A behind Scotland, Spain will take on the toppers on the 12th of October, followed by the Scandinavian team on the 15th.