Lautaro Martínez plays down Lamine Yamal-Lionel Messi comparisons

Inter Milan captain Lautaro Martínez has said he is impressed by Lamine Yamal but added that there is no comparison between Barcelona’s teenage sensation and Lionel Messi.

Many similarities have been drawn between Yamal and eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi, who both came through Barça’s youth ranks.

“For me, Leo [Messi] is incomparable, because Leo is and will always be the best player of all time,” Martínez said of the Inter Miami captain.

“I’m not going to make that comparison. All I can say is that Lamine is an important player, we’ve all seen him, we all know him.”

Messi scored 672 goals in 778 games for Barcelona before leaving the club in 2021, and he helped them win 10 LaLiga titles and the Champions League on four occasions.

Yamal, 17, has scored 21 goals and set up 27 more in 99 appearances for Barça since being promoted to the first team in the summer of 2023.

At 16, Yamal became the youngest scorer in LaLiga history and the youngest player ever to feature at a European Championship with Spain.

He won the Young Player of the Tournament at Euro 2024 after helping Spain claim the title.

“At his young age, he’s doing a great job and has won important titles with his national team,” Martínez said of Yamal ahead of his side’s Champions League semifinal on Wednesday.

“He deserves respect, he has a great future ahead of him.”

Yamal, who lifted the Copa del Rey after his team’s 3-2 extra-time win over Real Madrid on Saturday, played down the comparisons himself in a news conference on Tuesday.

“I don’t compare myself with him,” Yamal told reporters when asked about Messi. “I don’t want to compare me with anyone, and even less with Messi. That’s something I leave to you.

“In the end, I only try to be better than yesterday. I admire Messi a lot, so I don’t want to compare myself with the best player in football’s history. I still haven’t spoken with him in person.”

Barça are four points clear of Real Madrid at the top of La Liga with five games remaining.