Barcelona’s teenage prodigy Lamine Yamal has shed light on the one particular facet of Lionel Messi’s game he would watch over and over again while growing up. The young winger, long hailed as one of La Masia’s brightest talents, has often drawn comparisons to the Argentine great for his quick feet, composure in tight spaces, and natural understanding of the game. Those echoes of Messi have grown even louder this season after Yamal inherited the iconic No. 10 shirt — a number forever linked with the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Yamal admitted that as a child, he would study that specific trait of Messi’s play with fascination, trying to understand how the former Barcelona captain made the extraordinary look effortless.
The 18-year-old sensation revealed that it wasn’t Messi’s goals or trademark runs that fascinated him the most—it was something far more subtle, something he spent hours studying as a young fan trying to grasp the genius of the club’s greatest player.
"As a kid, I used to study Messi's passes. Other players made good passes, but Messi's passes were pretty much goals. I always thought passing was more interesting than dribbling. They're somewhat more clever," Yamal said on the CBS 60 Minutes segment.
Yamal offered a grounded perspective on his rapid rise, saying he avoids getting caught up in outside expectations. The young Barcelona star explained that focusing purely on football keeps him balanced and frees his mind from everything else.
"I don't have any expectations. I just think about playing, not setting expectations. I think expectations are ultimately bad; when you meet them, you might feel like there are no goals left, and when you don't meet them, you might feel frustrated. Playing football is the only thing that makes me forget everything else," he added.
“My goal isn't to break all records”: Lamine Yamal
The 18-year-old said that personal glory has never driven him, insisting his focus is on enjoying the game and inspiring others, using football as a way to lift people’s spirits and brighten their day.
"My goal isn't to break all records, to score a million goals, to play a million matches. I'm an athlete who wants to enjoy himself. I hope kids want to be like me. In the end, the goal is for people to enjoy and deliver a bit of a show in football. I would like to change people's day. If someone is sad and watches my match, I want their mood to improve."