Overview
- Lamine Yamal told The Guardian that after Spain beat Argentina in the World Cup final he moved away from celebrations to personally thank Lionel Messi for what he has done for football.
- Yamal said the gesture ‘‘came from inside’’ and that he has long regarded Messi as the best player even before Messi’s recent international titles.
- The young Barcelona forward said he asked his father to remove a childhood photo of Messi bathing him because public comparisons to Messi were ‘‘too easy’’ and risked shaping his career narrative.
- The 2007 image originally came from a charity calendar produced with Diario Sports, UNICEF and the Barça Foundation and was shot by photographer Joan Monfort, details that have fueled renewed attention to the link between the two players.
- At 19, Yamal is managing rising fame by stressing his own identity on and off the pitch, a stance that could shape how media and fans evaluate his achievements going forward.