Messi Speaks Out With Bold Declaration: 'There's No Doubt' About Lamine Yamal's Greatness

Barcelona icon Lionel Messi is watching his storied legacy at the Camp Nou be carried forward by teenage sensation Lamine Yamal, and the praise for the youngster is well-deserved.

Over 17 seasons, Messi built a generation-defining legacy through his unmatched creativity, composure, and dribbling ability. Now, Yamal is carving his own path for the Blaugrana, bringing his distinctive creativity and flair from the right flank while wearing Messi's iconic No. 10 shirt.

"There is a new generation of footballers who are very talented and have many years ahead of them, but if I have to pick one based on age, what he has already achieved, and the future he could have, it is Lamine," Messi said at an adidas event this week, per Diario Sport. "Without a doubt, for me, he is the best."

Yamal, Barça's top scorer and assist leader this season, recently claimed the Laureus Young Sportsperson of the Year award, being recognized as the finest young athlete under 21 in the world. He also came in second place in the 2025 Ballon d'Or vote, narrowly losing out to Paris Saint-Germain's Ousmane Dembélé.

A Relationship Decades in the Making

In 2007, a 20-year-old Lionel Messi was pictured bathing a baby for a Barça-UNICEF charity campaign—that baby, Lamine Yamal, is now a rising football star. pic.twitter.com/wCbjWHCEm5

Though Messi and Yamal have never shared a pitch, their connection famously traces back nearly two decades, born out of pure coincidence—or perhaps destiny.

In 2007, a then-20-year-old Messi was selected by Barcelona to take part in a charity photoshoot at the Camp Nou, aimed at raising funds for UNICEF and the Barça Foundation's child protection initiatives. The six-month-old Catalan infant photographed alongside Messi turned out to be none other than Yamal himself.

"UNICEF held a raffle in the Rocafonda neighborhood of Mataró, where Lamine's family lived," said Joan Monfort, the photographer behind the charity shoot, in 2025. "They entered the raffle for a chance to be photographed at the Camp Nou with a Barça player. And they won."

"At first, Messi didn't even know how to hold him. Messi is quite an introverted person, quite shy. He walked out of the locker room and suddenly found himself in another room with a plastic tub of water and a baby inside. It was a tricky situation.

"For Lamine to grow up and become a footballer, and for this photo to exist, I'm just really glad it happened. It's especially meaningful in today's football, where so much revolves around money and power."

Many supporters view that chance encounter as a symbolic "football baptism," foreshadowing the mantle Messi would eventually hand down to Yamal.

Although Yamal is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury and will miss the rest of the La Liga season, he is expected to return for the 2026 World Cup and make his debut for Spain on football's biggest stage. There, the reigning European champions could potentially face World Cup holders Argentina, bringing Yamal and Messi onto the same pitch for the very first time, potentially as early as the round of 32.

Yamal Outspoken in His Admiration of Messi

After Barcelona's star attacker claimed the inaugural Young Sportsperson of the Year honor—marking consecutive accolades for the gifted youngster at the Laureus World Sports Awards, following his Breakthrough Sportsperson of the Year win in 2025—Yamal was quick to heap praise on Messi and express his ambition to follow in his footsteps.

Messi also holds two Laureus awards of his own, having first won the World Sportsman of the Year in 2020 while at Barcelona, becoming the first footballer ever to do so. He claimed the honor again in 2023, making him the only team-sport athlete to win it twice. The Inter Miami captain remains the sole soccer player to have ever received the award.

"For me, Messi is the greatest player in history," Yamal said at last month's awards ceremony. "I'm not sure if he's the best athlete across all sports, but if not, he's certainly close. He's an idol. Everyone respects him for everything he has accomplished. He has been part of the childhood of every kid who ever played football at school or in the park.

"I hope I can follow in his footsteps and have one of those [trophies] in my home someday."