‘I don’t say this flippantly’… ESPN pundit hails Barcelona winger as the best player in the world | OneFootball

In their most recent game, Hansi Flick’s Barcelona managed to put on a dominant performance in the UEFA Champions League. The Catalan giants, led by some of the world’s best players, managed to thrash Borussia Dortmund at the Montjuic Stadium. While there is still a second leg left to play, Barcelona seem more than ready for the semi-finals already.

With many players delivering great performances, it is always difficult to single out a standout performer. For some, it could be Raphinha with his goal and two assists, while for others, it could be Robert Lewandowski or even a sensational Frenkie de Jong.

For Craig Burley of ESPN FC, however, that player seems to be Lamine Yamal. In fact, during their recent reaction to the latest Barcelona win, as shared on their Youtube channel, the pundit claimed that the young 17-year-old winger is the best player in the world currently:

“I don’t say this lightly, and it’s not because of tonight because some of the things he did tonight were just… I mean, the pass, the toe-poke finish, and I don’t say this flippantly. At 17 years old, he is at the moment the best player in the world.”

He further went on to say that even though there are other great players, such as Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe, Yamal is truly special in his own unique way:

“There are other players like Vinicius Jr and Mbappe, and they can all do special things. But it just seems, and we watch it every week, it’s almost every game he (Yamal) is doing something that makes you go ‘Woah’, how’s he done that, and is there no end to this?”

He concluded his praise of the young star by simply reflecting on what he said and suggesting that there is a big case for the Barcelona youngster to be hailed as the best player in the world currently:

“At 17 years old, you can make an argument, that he is currently the best player in the world.”

As it stands, it seems that each of the three primary Barcelona forwards are making a run for the Ballon d’Or. An in-form trio of Raphinha, Lewandowski, and Yamal are haunting some of the biggest teams in Europe this season, and they show no signs of slowing down any time soon.