Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has weighed in on the Lamine Yamal vs Lionel Messi debate. He recently posed a challenge to Barcelona’s latest wonderkid, and fans have been reacting.
Speaking during an interview with the press, Pep said that the constant comparisons with Messi will not help the youngster develop his game properly.
According to him, comparing Yamal to Lionel will only make sense in 15 years time, when the Spaniard would have played football long enough to establish his own legacy.
He stated that comparing both players is like comparing a painter to Van Gogh, emphasising that Yamal still has a long way to go.
“I think Lamine Yamal should be allowed to develop his career. And when he’s been playing for 15 years, we’ll decide if he’s better or worse.
Let him develop his career. And the fact that he’s being compared to Messi is a big deal. Like if you compare a painter to Van Gogh, they’ll say, wow, he’s not bad, it’s a sign he’s good. And that comparison is a sign he’s good. But we have to let him develop his career. And we’ll see,” he said.
Pep further noted that Messi has been a very powerful name in football, stressing that he remains the greatest football player of all time.
He concluded by saying that playing excellent football nonstop for more than a decade is a very big deal for the World Cup winner.
“Messi has been a big deal. 90 goals in one season, for 15 years, nonstop, without injury. That’s a big deal. Let him go. Let him go,” he added.
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