Lamine Yamal

[Wand of a right foot]

He was special but he was an unused substitute in the 120 min match vs Germany when they were eliminated. Not sure he hit god mode until 2007/2008. I don't think it's crazy to compare Yamal and Messi at their respective ages. I refuse to believe Yamal or anybody will hit peak Messi levels again.

He had already hit "god mode" by season 2005/6, his first season as a regular starter. Remember his performance vs Mourinho"s Chelsea at Stamford bridge? (one of the best ever oremier league teams) amongst several others.

He went into the 2006 world cup off the back of a 3 month injury lay off hence used really sparingly.

Messi truly exploded in early 2007, but he'd been delayed by injuries before then. He was absolutely massively hyped, genuinely expected to enter goat discussions back when he was still 16/17. At 18 he was clowning Mourinho's Chelsea at SB in a CL R16 match - effectively ended Del Horno's career at Chelsea

Peckerman was criticized by many people - especially Maradona - for not playing him in 2006(gave him 10 minutes and he scored)

anyways, refer back to my post on this kid from March/April of last year, post International break

he's very much the same caliber of talent as Messi

I think he is a supremely talented player but id say more like a Neymar/Ronaldinho level talent which is a very very high level. Main difference even at that age is in the final third (Messi's composure and placement of the ball) and in the close control at full speed which is elite but just below Leo. Also, he isnt as explosive.

 

[giorno]

I think he is a supremely talented player but id say more like a Neymar/Ronaldinho level talent which is a very very high level. Main difference even at that age is in the final third (Messi's composure and placement of the ball) and in the close control at full speed which is elite but just below Leo. Also, he isnt as explosive.

he's a better passer and chance creator and has a better shot than Messi at the same age

He's 17, and might already be the best player in the world. Neymar and Ronaldinho were nowhere near this talented

 

[Kinsella]

he's a better passer and chance creator and has a better shot than Messi at the same age

He's 17, and might already be the best player in the world. Neymar and Ronaldinho were nowhere near this talented

That's a big claim.

 

[Querulous Megapode]

It's very hard to call an early sunday league game against Alaves a breakout moment when you've won a European Championship as a starter, and generally been one of the best players in the world all season, but Jesus Christ he's giving it a pretty solid shot.

 

[Wand of a right foot]

he's a better passer and chance creator and has a better shot than Messi at the same age

He's 17, and might already be the best player in the world. Neymar and Ronaldinho were nowhere near this talented

They were trust me. Problem (if you can call it that) was that they were playing in South America.

Messi hardly played at 17 due to various reason but lack of ability wasn't one of them.

 

[Querulous Megapode]

You are definitely the only person here who'd watched Neymar and Ronaldinho play in South America. I see no option but to trust you on all counts.

 

[Redstain]

I think he's a more complete player than Messi was being of similar age.

I don't really think he's getting the recognition he should on here, the fact someone said Garnacho is better in his thread was a pitiful joke.

Yamal is the best player in Europe as it stands. We need to not use words like "talent" to ascribe his influence, he is the type of player that comes around once every 100 or so years.

If he continues his trajectory free of injury he goes down as the best player of all time.

 

[Kinsella]

I think he's a more complete player than Messi was being of similar age.

I don't really think he's getting the recognition he should on here, the fact someone said Garnacho is better in his thread was a pitiful joke.

Yamal is the best player in Europe as it stands. We need to not use words like "talent" to ascribe his influence, he is the type of player that comes around once every 100 or so years.

If he continues his trajectory free of injury he goes down as the best player of all time.

Who said that?

 

[Redstain]

Who said that?

Can't remember who specifically but it popped up amongst the panic of the Chelsea interest.

But it's not surprising with many only coveting the league, if he played in England this thread would be well over 100 pages.

 

[Querulous Megapode]

Wasting my last post of the day on this rather than getting back to some points I wanted to adress. It is what it is:

Who said that?

I think my least favorite analysis was actually some guy declaring he clearly didn't have Neymar's talent or accelaration while simultaneously saying Neymar simply wasn't physically developed enough to play at the same age. As if any of these things were inherently unrelated. Or that you could seriously call a 16 or 17 year old kid's future physical development from the comfort of your couch.


(There was also someone saying he was no Maino, but could maybe reach other Barca legends's level like Pedro or Alexis Sanchez in the summer, but I think that it was always fairly obvious he was overcompensating hard.)

 

[Kwabs]

I sometimes have to remind myself that he's still only 17. As in, not 19, not 20, but SEVENTEEN.

I hope he has a healthy career and stays focused, because I really want to see what he can become.

 

[Kwabs]

he's a better passer and chance creator and has a better shot than Messi at the same age

He's 17, and might already be the best player in the world. Neymar and Ronaldinho were nowhere near this talented

This is perhaps a bit strong. I have made statements in the past about trying to remember that we must compare Lamine Yamal and the other guys as seventeen year olds, or at least, as teenagers.

I didn't watch Ronaldinho regularly as a seventeen year old and I didn't really see Neymar very much at that age either. I did see a lot of Messi, and the talent is very comparable. Messi was an incredible dribbler even at the age, but the passing and playmaking was not anything like what it later became (ditto the goalscoring, obviously).

Yamal doesn't dribble quite as well, but when he's in his passing bag, it's quite amazing what he can do. He also likes to express himself with the kind of flamboyant moves that Messi didn't really do. It's a very interesting comparison.

I think the important thing to remember is that becoming Messi is more than about talent. It takes a lot of other things too. Ronaldo is often thought of as the poster child for focus and dedication, but Messi is not far behind in that aspect, and that's what people overlook.

 

[Fortitude]

As I said before: it's a real shame there's no World Cup for him to play in at 17; he has the talent and proven body of work in a major that suggests he could've been one to challenge Pele's point of dominance for 17-year olds.

Really got to hope he stays injury free and keeps his head in the game. I feel it's only those two things that can stop him from being the dominant player of this generation.

 

[Kwabs]

As I said before: it's a real shame there's no World Cup for him to play in at 17; he has the talent and proven body of work in a major that suggests he could've been one to challenge Pele's point of dominance for 17-year olds.

Really got to hope he stays injury free and keeps his head in the game. I feel it's only those two things that can stop him from being the dominant player of this generation.

I don't think so. I've watched the semi final and final from the 1958 World Cup. What Pele did in those games will never be seen again. It's one of the reasons why I think he's the real GOAT.