Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique has dismissed comparisons between Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi , despite the 18-year-old Barcelona star drawing constant parallels with the Argentine great. Yamal’s age, rapid rise, and connection to Barcelona have fueled the comparisons, while an old photograph of Messi holding a baby Yamal adds to the fascination.
He has scored 9 goals and provided 10 assists in 11 matches, and is once again expected to be a key player for Barcelona in the upcoming Champions League match against PSG on Wednesday (IST). The 56-year-old also pointed out that PSG cannot afford to focus only on Lamine Yamal, given the quality Barcelona have across the pitch. Enrique thinks Yamal should focus on building his own legacy rather than being compared to Messi. “I think what Lamine is doing really well is that he wants to be Lamine Yamal. He is improving different aspects of his game. Also Read – James Maddison stars on return as Tottenham end Premier League winless run, beat Coventry Enrique acknowledges the threat Yamal poses to PSG and believes the best way to limit his impact is to restrict Barcelona’s possession. He acknowledged that implementing this strategy against Hansi Flick’s team will be challenging and encouraged his players to rely on their strengths and work as a unit. He stressed that his side will need to stay alert and defend collectively to deal with the threat posed by Flick’s team. “We know they have players with tremendous quality. It’s not just Lamine. Raphinha, Pedri, Cubarsí, Joan García… there are many. We’ll stay focused and alert. We have to overcome him as a team,” he concluded.
The PSG manager praised the young Barcelona player’s progress but said that comparing him to the Argentine, whom he calls the greatest of all time, is unfair. When you compare Messi, the greatest player of all time, with any other player, nobody is going to come out on top,” Enrique told reporters ahead of the showdown against his former team Barcelona.
Yamal has maintained impressive form this season, building on his strong performances from last year.
