Overview
- Lionel Messi, who spoke at an Adidas event Friday tied to a World Cup advert, called Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal “the best” of the rising talents.
- The 18-year-old has inherited Barcelona’s No. 10 shirt once worn by Messi and recently finished second in the Ballon d’Or behind Ousmane Dembélé.
- This season he has been reported at 24 goals and 17 assists in 47 Barcelona games, highlighting standout production for his age.
- He missed the end of Barcelona’s season with a hamstring injury, and Spain coach Luis de la Fuente is likely to manage his minutes early in the World Cup group stage.
- Messi’s endorsement strengthens the heir-apparent narrative around Yamal and increases pressure on Spain and Barcelona to balance excitement with careful workload decisions.