Deco tips Lamine Yamal to match Messi’s impact at Barca

Former Barcelona midfielder and current sporting director Deco believes youngster Lamine Yamal can become “a reference player” for the club. The 17-year-old is an undisputed prodigy, winning the Euro 2024 honour with Spain and emerging as the competition’s Best Young Player. He has equally been pivotal for Hansi Flick’s side this season, having scored five goals and assisted five more in 11 appearances.
Deco likened Yamal to Messi, Cruyff and Ronaldinho during an interview with RAC 1 radio. The former midfielder said, “Lamine is writing his history at Barca like Lionel Messi, like Johan [Cruyff], [Andres] Iniesta or Ronaldinho did in their time. He has everything to be a reference player in his club. It is wonderful to have him here, appreciate him and look after him. He has decision-making that is very difficult to see in someone his age.”
Yamal debuted for Barcelona in 2023 aged 15. He has since set several milestones, including becoming the youngest scorer in La Liga history at just 16 and becoming the youngest player to ever play at a European Championship, even going ahead to win the Young Player of the Tournament.
Having achieved so much so early, Yamal has been compared constantly with legends like Messi and Cruyff. Deco was at Barca during Messi’s early years in the senior team. He said, “Leo was a slightly more explosive player at the time but Lamine is 17 years old and is winning.
“Leo was fortunate to grow up in an environment of a club that was winning, a generation that was winning, this gave him a little more time. Lamine is part of a renewal, of a generation that is being created. The good thing about Lamine is that he has an unusual maturity for his age and what he is experiencing.”
The youngster has caught attention of other top teams offering to take him from Barca. Barca president Joan Laporta noted earlier this week that the club rejected an offer of €250 million for the player in the summer.
Deco suggested that the club must protect the player from injuries by not overloading him. Yamal had returned early from Spain’s national team camp after he suffered a hamstring strain in their 1-0 win over Denmark. Deco noted, “It is evident that young players are subject to many matches. Too many. Also Gavi or Pedri, but not only ours. It seems like we risk our lives in every game. We have to take care of Lamine, he is still in the formative process.”