“Basically, I don’t want to be compared to Messi,” Lamine Yamal said. The Spanish star said he initially did not know about the existence of the photos with Messi until his father revealed them.

“At the time the pictures were taken, I had no idea what was happening at that age. My dad saved them and they never came out. I don’t mind being put next to the best player in history, but it’s just a comparison because you will never be like him.”

midfielder born in 2007 said.Lionel Messi, 20, bathes 6-month-old Lamine Yamal during a photo shoot in the dressing room of the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on October 31, 2007. (AP Photo)

During a Barca Club meeting, Sheila Ebana (Yamal’s mother) and Leo Messi bathed Yamal, who was then 6 months old. The photoshoot was part of a charity calendar campaign in 2007. The photo was included in the second edition of the 2007 charity calendar campaign, jointly produced by Sport newspaper, the Barca Charity Foundation and the United Nations Children’s Fund UNICEF.

At that time, Messi was a promising young player and not as famous as he is now. With what he has shown, Yamal is considered the new Messi, but he said that he would be satisfied if he achieved half of the Barca legend.

When asked about the reason for not choosing the number 10 shirt at the club, the midfielder said: “This number is the property of Ansu Fati. I don’t care about the shirt number, as long as I get to play on the field.”

Besides, this striker is also likely to be on the list of candidates for the Golden Ball 2024, but he is not concerned. “I would rather win the Euro or Champions League,” he said.

Lamine Yamal is causing a stir at Euro 2024. With his goal in the semi-final against France, he became the youngest player to score in Euro history, at just 16 years and 362 days. Yamal is also the youngest player to score in Euro/World Cup, breaking the record set by King of Football Pele at the 1958 World Cup (17 years and 239 days).

In addition, Lamine Yamal also became the youngest player to play in the semi-finals of a major tournament (Euro/World Cup), a record that also belonged to the King of Football Pele (17 years and 244 days in the match against France at the 1958 World Cup).