Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique has dismissed comparisons between Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi, despite the 18-year-old Barcelona star drawing constant parallels with the Argentine great. Yamal’s age, rapid rise, and connection to Barcelona have fueled the comparisons, while an old photograph of Messi holding a baby Yamal adds to the fascination.
Luis Enrique makes stance clear on Lamine Yamal-Lionel Messi comparisons (AFP)
Enrique managed Messi during his time at Barcelona, where they won a treble and formed one of the most exciting attacking trios alongside Neymar and Luis Suarez.
Yamal has maintained impressive form this season, building on his strong performances from last year. He has scored 9 goals and provided 10 assists in 11 matches, and is once again expected to be a key player for Barcelona in the upcoming Champions League match against PSG on Wednesday (IST).
Enrique thinks Yamal should focus on building his own legacy rather than being compared to Messi. The PSG manager praised the young Barcelona player’s progress but said that comparing him to the Argentine, whom he calls the greatest of all time, is unfair.
“I think what Lamine is doing really well is that he wants to be Lamine Yamal. He is improving different aspects of his game. When you compare Messi, the greatest player of all time, with any other player, nobody is going to come out on top,” Enrique told reporters ahead of the showdown against his former team Barcelona.
“Lamine wants to be the best version of himself, and it’s better not to compare yourself to others. He’s very intelligent.”
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Enrique on the best way to defend vs Yamal
Enrique acknowledges the threat Yamal poses to PSG and believes the best way to limit his impact is to restrict Barcelona’s possession. He acknowledged that implementing this strategy against Hansi Flick’s team will be challenging and encouraged his players to rely on their strengths and work as a unit.
“Very simple. You can’t let him get the ball because if he gets it, there’s danger,” he summarised. “The best way to defend against Lamine is to make sure Barcelona doesn’t have the ball. “That’s our ideal scenario, but it won’t happen because we know how difficult it is to play against Barcelona,” he added.
The 56-year-old also pointed out that PSG cannot afford to focus only on Lamine Yamal, given the quality Barcelona have across the pitch. He stressed that his side will need to stay alert and defend collectively to deal with the threat posed by Flick’s team.
“We know they have players with tremendous quality. It’s not just Lamine. Raphinha, Pedri, Cubarsí, Joan García… there are many. We’ll stay focused and alert. We have to overcome him as a team,” he concluded.
