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Former Barcelona and Spain striker David Villa has expressed his admiration for Lamine Yamal following his rapid rise to the top.
Yamal had an exceptional year in 2024, winning UEFA Euro 2024 with Spain, where he was named the best young player of the tournament.
The La Masia graduate also secured prestigious individual honours, including the Kopa Trophy and the Golden Boy Award.
Villa was quick to praise the young sensation in a recent interview with ASsaying: “He’s an amazing kid. How he plays, how he understands football… it’s true that I don’t know him personally, but I’ve been with him a few times and he looks very calm and focused.
“This is not an explosion of football players that will last for a few months.
“He has been there for some time where, you could say, he could have made a mistake, but the truth is exactly the opposite. He is very good and every time you see him play, he plays better.
“He also knows what it means to be a champion.”
David Villa: “I will not compare Lamine Yamala with Messi, I think comparing any player with Messi is embarrassing, Lamine is already a world star and he has achieved important things in the last two years and I am very excited for him and the fans are the right to be excited for him… pic.twitter.com/iq37BnMdrB
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) January 6, 2025
When asked about comparisons between Lamine and Lionel Messi, Villa replied that the two are not compatible.
“I think it’s irritating to compare any player with Messi today. Lamine Yamal is already a world star,” added Villa.
“He has been achieving important things for two years now and I, like Čule, am excited again.
“And of course the fans have the right to be excited about him, but I don’t think it’s necessary to compare him to Messi because he’s going to have a very good career.”
A tense race for the title of La Liga
David Villa also shared his thoughts on the current LaLiga title race, which sees his former clubs Barcelona and Atletico Madrid battle it out alongside reigning champions Real Madrid.
While Villa is enjoying seeing Atletico and Barcelona clash, he has warned both not to underestimate Real Madrid.
🎂 Happy birthday, David Villa! 🥳 pic.twitter.com/nAqnwRk2vd
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) December 3, 2024
He said: “Good, though keep an eye on Madrid. They are always there. Well, in short, they are the biggest clubs in the country and in the last few years they have shown, why not say, considerable superiority over the others.
“Given their signings, it was clear that the three of them would fight again and it’s true that it’s nice.
“Having a competition between more than two teams or with a very prominent leader is fantastic for football fans.
“Of course, I’m very fond of two of those three teams because of my past with them and the truth is that I really enjoy it.
“I hope that the league will continue like this until the end. I would like the league to be decided at the last minute… and it would be between Atlético and Barca.”
