Spain boss Luis de la Fuente says that ongoing comparisons between Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi
are a “mistake” and do not help the Barcelona teenager.Yamal has had to cope with such comparisons throughout his career but has always tried to make it clear that he’s his own player.
De la Fuente says that Yamal simply has to follow his own path but accepts that Yamal is “different” from other players.
“The worst mistake would be to compare him to Messi and Maradona. He is the midst of a process. He has
exceptional footballing maturity and lives it all with total naturalness,” he told reporters.
“He has great serenity and strength. We have to let him follow his path but those players who have something different are ready for that. They’re geniuses, like Dalí [who] can paint a picture, or Michelangelo.
“They’re different. What is exceptional to us, isn’t to them. In those extremes, they feel comfortable. Why? Because they are different. What we think is exceptional, they consider normal.”
De la Fuente also says that Yamal needs careful support and guidance due to the constant focus and media attention he has to cope with.
“We should help him as best we can on this journey: that would be good for Spanish football and the Spanish national team. Those of us who are parents know that you accompany [your children], guide them, but without invading their space,” he added.
“I am a coach but I am also someone who forms people. When you’re so young, when you’re 18, you still need advice. You can’t talk to them like you do to Jesús Navas. He is intelligent and accepts it. He protects himself from the media, as he should.”
Spain and Yamal are in action again later today against Saudi Arabia at World Cup 2026.
