ANALYSIS: LAMINE YAMAL'S REJECTION OF LIONEL MESSI COMPARISON IS KEY TO SUCCESS
Barcelona star Lamine Yamal (18) reveals his ambitious mindset in a 60 Minutes interview: "I don’t want to be Messi—and he knows it." Yamal aims to create his own legacy.
At 18, Lamine Yamal is living a dream most players never experience: he wears the No. 10 for Barca, is a Ballon d'Or contender, and is seen as one of the world's top young players.
His recent CBS News 60 Minutes interview confirmed what many around Barcelona were already thinking: Lamine plays and thinks like someone much older.
One quote from the interview really stood out:
“I don’t want to be Messi—and he knows it.”
It's a statement that shows respect, ambition, and a strong sense of self.
He isn't trying to distance himself from Lionel Messi. He's showing he wants to make his own way.
“Messi is the best… but I want to follow my own path.”
When asked about the Messi comparisons, Lamine's mature response showed why Barcelona sees him as a future leader.
“I respect him for what he has been and what he is for football. To me, he’s the best.”
“But I don't want to be Messi, and Messi doesn't want me to be him.”
This sums up his attitude: complete respect, but no imitation.
He doesn't want the No. 10 because of Messi. He doesn't want to copy Messi's style. He wants to be his own person.
Lamine Yamal wants to be Lamine Yamal.
That attitude alone excites the Barca fans.
He sees football as something fun and meaningful.
Throughout the interview, Lamine kept coming back to his main idea: he plays to have fun and to entertain.
“My football is about fun. I play so people can enjoy watching. It's not about a million records or a million goals.”
This fits perfectly with Barcelona's values: football as a way to be creative, express yourself, and inspire others.
Lamine views the game not as a race to get the best stats, but as a stage to spread joy, especially to the kids who look up to him.
This message really resonates with a club that values its identity.
He is inspired by Messi but not limited by him.
Lamine said he admired Messi’s passes and Modric’s outside-of-the-boot shots when he was younger. But even then, he made it clear he doesn't want to be a copy.
He wants to build his own thing—something that will last and be its own legacy.
That's why his comment about Messi was so impactful:
It wasn't about rejecting the comparison but about looking forward to what he can become.
Barcelona doesn’t need “the next Messi.” Barcelona needs Lamine Yamal. And he understands that.
His identity is shaping a fresh chapter.
Thinking about the Euros, the World Cup, his background, and his role at Barcelona, Lamine made it clear what kind of person he is. He's not afraid of expectations. He welcomes them, as long as they don’t force him to change who he is.
In a sport that often chews up young players, Lamine is different:
He's a confident 18-year-old who embraces the spotlight but doesn't let it change him.
And the quote that everyone is talking about says it all:
“I don’t want to be Messi—and he knows it.”
It’s not about being rebellious or arrogant. It’s simply a promise:
Lamine Yamal is not here to copy what came before. He’s here to create something new.
BARTOMEU UNCOVERS SECRET 2017 MBAPPé BID DURING REVEALING CADENA SER INTERVIEW
Josep Maria Bartomeu reveals Barcelona targeted Kylian Mbappé in 2017, but coaches preferred a move for Ousmane Dembélé instead
Former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has just dropped a bit of a bombshell: right after Neymar left for PSG, Barcelona actually went after Kylian Mbappe. That chaotic summer in 2017, when Neymar's record-breaking move sent shockwaves through the club, left them scrambling for a new superstar.
Bartomeu admitted in an interview with SER that Neymar’s shock exit caught everyone off guard. “Neymar’s departure came as a shock to the club; we didn’t want him to leave,” he said. Suddenly, Barcelona was scouring the market for big names, and with Mbappe starring at Monaco, he became their top target.
But here’s the twist: even though the club reached out for both Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele, the coaching staff made the final call. Bartomeu explained, “We made an offer for Mbappe and another for Dembele. The coaching staff preferred Dembele.” So, instead of pushing for Mbappe, Barcelona pressed ahead with Dembele, ultimately striking a deal with Borussia Dortmund worth €105 million plus add-ons.
Of course, there was the small matter of money, too. Bartomeu clarified that the price Monaco set for Mbappe was simply out of reach: €180 million, take it or leave it, and it was PSG who could step up. “It wasn’t an offer in the strict sense. They would say to you, "He's worth €180 million." If you want Mbappe, it’s €180 million, and Paris paid it.” Between the steep price and the coaching staff’s strong preference for Dembele, Barcelona backed off.
Bartomeu also opened up about how he handled transfers during his tenure. One thing stood out: after he pushed for the Luis Suarez signing from Liverpool despite all the controversy and got hammered with criticism, he decided to step back and trust the technical staff from then on. Suarez went on to win the Champions League and four La Liga titles with Barcelona, but that experience taught Bartomeu a lesson. “The only decision I made as president or as an administrator, and which I defended vigorously, was the signing of Suarez,” he said. “I was heavily criticised by all the media, so I learned the lesson that the president or administrators cannot interfere in sporting matters. We must trust the technical staff, the sporting directors, and the coaches; it is they who decide on signings.”
BARCELONA SECURE 14-POINT LEAD OVER MADRID; ESPANYOL RESULT NOW DETERMINES TITLE
Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres scored late to move Barcelona 14 points clear, leaving them one Madrid loss from the title.
Barcelona now sit 14 points ahead of Real Madrid, and if Madrid slips up against Espanyol on Sunday, the title’s theirs.
Lewandowski finally broke the deadlock after 81 minutes, nodding in a header, and Torres added another four minutes from the end. Osasuna didn't quit, though Raul Garcia pulled one back late, but Barcelona held on for all three points. They’re inching closer to a second league title in a row, the club’s 29th overall.
If Madrid beats Espanyol, Barcelona’s next chance to seal it comes in the Clásico on May 10 against their biggest rivals.
Flick’s trying to keep his team’s focus on the next match rather than the Clasico, but Barcelona played the first half like a squad with little to lose. Missing the injured Lamine Yamal, they lost a chunk of their energy on the attack. Sure, they dominated possession, but breaking down Osasuna for real chances? That was tough.
Roony Bardghji, filling in for Yamal on the right, managed a decent long shot, but Osasuna’s keeper, Sergio Herrera, had no trouble stopping it. Honestly, Osasuna nearly shocked everyone before halftime. Ante Budimir battled through two defenders and poked the ball off the post.
Barcelona picked up the pace after the break. Dani Olmo should’ve scored from close range, but he fluffed it. Flick then rolled the dice from the bench, bringing on three subs, including Marcus Rashford, on loan from Manchester United, to take over the right flank.
Rashford almost made an immediate impact, curling a shot just over and injecting some much-needed speed. He set up the opener too, swinging in a perfect cross for Lewandowski, who lost his marker and buried his header. Torres, another sub, finished with precision to double the lead.
Still, it wasn’t comfortable. Garcia scored for Osasuna in stoppage time, left wide open in the box, forcing Barcelona to sweat out the last minutes. The Catalans dug in, clearing everything in sight as Osasuna pressed, but finally, they held on for their tenth league win in a row. Now, all they can do is wait.
