“Nobody at 17 has done that in football, not Messi, not Ronaldo, not Jesus Christ” - Ex-Real Madrid star makes big claim on Lamine Yamal
Former Real Madrid defender Juanfran Moreno has claimed that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo weren't at Lamine Yamal's level when they were his age.
Yamal rose to stardom shortly after earning his first-team promotion under Xavi Hernandez at Barcelona in 2023. At the time, the 16-year-old quickly established himself at Camp Nou and his extraordinary talent became apparent.
Yamal made 50 appearances across all competitions last season, registering 16 goal contributions. The Spain international then played a crucial role in their Euro 2024 triumph in Germany, providing four assists and scoring in the semi-finals against France.
At just 17 years of age, with a European Championship under his belt, Moreno insists even Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo weren't as successful as Yamal.
He told Relevo:
“There is the thing about Lamine Yamal who is making history. Nobody at 17 has done that in football, not Messi, not Cristiano, not Jesus Christ. We are facing a player who today, at his age, is the best player in history."
"If he is so good and so legendary, it is because he also has the ability to handle this in a very natural way, like a child. He is a guy who goes out on the field, you see him smiling, he doesn't make faces, he gets kicked, he gets up. I think we are looking at a player who is an example on the field and off the field."
"He is a great player and the greats are great in every sense. This is a 17-year-old boy who gets kicked every weekend, even on his ID card. And the guy keeps going, he smiles, he scores, he doesn't make faces, he runs, he goes up, he goes down... well, I think he is a boy who has such a naturalness that is what makes him so different, beyond his brutal conditions."
While Yamal won a major international trophy at 17, Messi and Ronaldo had only made their debuts for Barcelona and Sporting CP respectively at that age.
"He's got everything it takes to make history" - Alvaro Morata draws comparisons between Lamine Yamal and Messi and Ronaldo
AC Milan striker Alvaro Morata has backed Lamine Yamal to become one of Spain's greatest-ever players. The striker has drawn comparisons between the young phenom and the likes of Messi and Ronaldo.
Morata, who lifted the Euro 2024 title alongside Yamal with La Roja, was astonished by the youngster's talent during their first training session together. He said:
"Honestly I've never seen anything like it. I've never seen a player like it. One training session was enough to realise he's different, that he's one of the fenomeni."
He then lavished praise on Yamal for his contribution at the Euro 2024. Morata insists that a talent like Messi or Ronaldo comes only once every two or three decades.
"Every 20 or 30 years one or two emerge like Cristiano and Messi. For me, he's got everything it takes to make history. I'm convinced that if he doesn't become the greatest player in Spain's history, he'll definitely be one of them. He already made history with us by winning the Euro."