Now back in May, there was no way of either Messi or Yamal knowing, that their parallel trajectories were about to come full-circle in front of the world. Still, Yamal had already been establishing himself as someone to watch out for – his Euro Cup run was proof, among many other case studies. All in all, it was hard to ignore him; but that’s exactly what it is – Messi was never trying to. When asked about Yamal, Messi was super candid and honestly, very encouraging with his words, not only recognising the footballer’s inherent talent but also affirming his as the face of the sport’s next gen: “There’s a new generation who are very good, but if I had to choose one…it’s Lamine. No doubt about it for me, he’s the best.” The words are heavy, especially coming from the best in the game, and because of that very equation, they’re important to take note of.
