Barcelona unhappy after Spain coach compares Lamine Yamal to Lionel Messi

Barcelona's Lamine Yamal in action against Real Betis in April 2023.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Barcelona are understood to be unhappy after Spain coach Luis de la Fuente compared youngster Lamine Yamal to two of the greatest players in the history of football – Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona.

Yamal became the youngest player to start a game in the Champions League as he featured for Barcelona in their 1-0 win over Porto last week.

The 16-year-old is also the youngest debutant in the history of Spain's national team and became their youngest scorer when he netted against Georgia recently.

Despite all that, his club are keen to manage expectations around their young player and according to Sport, the Blaugrana were not pleased following the recent quotes by De la Fuente.

Asked about Yamal, the Spain coach said:  "He has fantastic potential and conditions. We have to take care of him, he is young.

"But, do you remember when Messi or Maradona were 16 years old? We should not put limits on these good footballers.

"We must let them develop all their potential. That's what we're trying to do with this player here and at his club."

Yamal went off the field in the second half of Barcelona's win in Porto after suffering a stomach problem and eventually had to be replaced as Xavi's side played for almost 10 minutes with a man down.

Despite that issue, the 16-year-old has recovered quickly and is expected to be fit to start against Granada in LaLiga on Sunday.

More Barcelona stories

Who is Lamine Yamal? Everything you need to know about the Barcelona wonderkid after he became the youngest starter in Champions League history.

In the Champions League last week, Yamal's bathroom break left Barcelona a man down for almost 10 minutes against Porto.

David Beckham has opened up on what makes Barcelona legend Lionel Messi so special, saying the Argentine's brain "works in different ways" to other players.

Ben Hayward
Weekend editor

Ben Hayward is a European football writer and Tottenham Hotspur fan with over 15 years’ experience, he has covered games all over the world - including three World Cups, several Champions League finals, Euros, Copa America - and has spent much of that time in Spain. Ben speaks English and Spanish, currently dividing his time between Barcelona and London, covering all the big talking points of the weekend on FFT: he’s also written several list features and interviewed Guglielmo Vicario for the magazine.

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