The day before the European Championship final, Spain’s mega talent Lamine Yamal turns 17. In an interview, he talks about parallels to world star Lionel Messi – and his encounter with France’s Kylian Mbappé.
Spanish football mega-talent Lamine Yamal doesn’t believe in comparisons with multiple world footballer Lionel Messi. “I try to be Lamine. Ultimately, it doesn’t help you to compare yourself to the best player in history because nobody will ever be like him,” Yamal, who celebrates his 17th birthday on Saturday, told the Spanish newspaper “Marca”. The FC Barcelona winger will play for Spain against England in the European Championship final in Berlin on Sunday (9 p.m./ARD and MagentaTV).
With his goal in the semi-final against France, Yamal became the youngest goalscorer in the history of the tournament, and he is often compared to Argentina’s world champion Messi. “I try to be myself so that people recognize me as Lamine Yamal. That’s all,” said the Spaniard in response to possible parallels. A photo circulated online showing Messi, then 20 years old, bathing baby Lamine.
Yamal also reported on the encounter with French superstar Kylian Mbappé. The 25-year-old asked for his jersey after the semi-final, he said. “If Mbappé asks me, he’ll get it. No problem.” The Spaniard described the final against England as a “dream final. Everyone wants to play games like that. Now we just want the cup to come to Spain.”
Source: Stern
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