‘I’m Surprised’—Pep Guardiola Makes Lamine Yamal Admission | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola waxed lyrical over Barcelona’s teenage superstar Lamine Yamal, but refused to compare the 17-year-old to all-time great Lionel Messi and admitted that he was “surprised” by the teenager’s rapid rise.

Messi, who also broke through at Barça as a teenager, is regarded by the majority as the greatest footballer ever. The Argentine won everything there was to win at club level in Europe, breaking all sorts of scoring records, and his recent success with the national team has thrust his legacy into an impenetrable realm.

Guardiola harnessed Messi’s development after taking the Barcelona job in 2008 and has previously described the current Inter Miami star as the best to ever lace up.

The manager’s ties to Messi and Barcelona meant it was inevitable that he would be asked about his former club’s newest superstar, with reporters taking their chance while Guardiola made an appearance at the Legends Trophy—an annual golf tournament run by his charity, the Guardiola Sala Foundation.

Asked whether Yamal could make a Messi-like transition from touchline winger to relentless goalscorer, Guardiola replied (via Mundo Deportivo): “I think he can do it, but on the wing he’s unbalanced. He has to find his way, and we’ll see if he can be compared to the greatest.”

Lamine Yamal was a nightmare for anyone marking him in La Liga this season. / IMAGO/Pressinphoto

The Spaniard sarcastically said he was “surprised” Man City weren’t interested in the 17-year-old, who reportedly turned down the Cityzens back in 2023 to remain in Catalonia. He’s since established himself as one of the world’s best, and while Guardiola refused to draw comparisons with Messi, he spoke glowingly of the teenager.

"He’s very good. Against Inter [in the Champions League semifinal], they gave him the ball to decide. I’m surprised that at 17, he does things like this,” Guardiola added.

Yamal’s stellar campaign, during which he recorded 39 goal contributions as Barça claimed three pieces of silverware, renders him a frontrunner for the Ballon d’Or. However, former Barcelona winger Ousmané Dembélé is many people’s leading contender after he capped off the best season of his career with an excellent performance in the Champions League final.

If this isn’t his year, Yamal will have plenty more opportunities to claim football’s most coveted individual prize. Guardiola noted that the 17-year-old is in the “best place he can be” and said he’s thrilled Yamal can be at Barcelona for “many years” after signing a lucrative new contract.