Football Daily | Is Lamine Yamal already the best male player on the planet?

4 hours ago 7

NOTHING BUT A NUMBER

In a world of hyperbole, recency bias and superlatives that are more exhausted than Casemiro on a counterattack, it is still not a stretch to call Lamine Yamal the best male footballer on the planet. Some particularly cantankerous individuals in Madrid might object to that, and while their annual boycott of Football Daily’s Bank Holiday Barbecue continues to be a point of consternation across the footballing world, there is no denying that the Barcelona boy is bit special. We say boy, because that is legally what he is. Akin to mentioning Frank Lampard whenever anyone talks about Coventry City or helicopter rides whenever brings up Michael Owen, we are contractually obliged to remind you of Lamine Yamal’s age whenever we write about him. HE IS JUST 17, FOLKS.

While most of us were nervously hovering outside a Londis asking passing adults to buy us Tin at that age, Lamine Yamal once again produced a performance for the ages on almost the biggest of stages – Barcelona’s Bigger Cup semi-final first leg with Inter – in which he rescued his side from almost certain defeat (after they went 2-0 and 3-2 down) with an outrageous exhibition of wingplay: one magnificent solo goal, a dizzying array of testing crosses and probing passes, one dummy to set up Barça’s third goal and enough shimmies to set up a window-cleaning business. And in his 100th first-team appearance, he did it all with a shrug and a wink as if to say: ‘Yep, I know, not bad, huh?’ We have less composure at a self-service checkout.

Lamine Yamal was also twice denied by the crossbar to leave the tie tantalisingly poised at 3-3. A euro for the thoughts of Federico Dimarco, Inter’s beleaguered left wing-back, who was hooked shortly after half-time and will be facing something of an existential crisis before next week’s second leg at San Siro. “We could even have won this game against a team who have a player who is difficult to stop,” sobbed Inter head coach Simone Inzaghi afterwards. “We started well, but [Lamine Yamal] created a lot of problems. He is a player I had not seen live before. We had to double up on him. We managed it better in the second half and could even have won. Lamine Yamal is a phenomenon born every 50 years. He really impressed me today.”

The praise kept coming. “A genius,” roared Hansi Flick, Barcelona’s manager. “This guy is incredible,” scribbled Erling Haaland on his Social Media Disgraces. The best 17-year-old since Pelé in 1958, parped … um … Football Daily. Some canny observers have compared Lamine Yamal to another prominent left-footed Barcelona right winger of yesteryear – some bloke named Lionel Messi – but the ~~man~~ boy himself isn’t having any of that. “I try to forge my own path,” Lamine Yamal told TNT Sports, already media-trained to within an inch of his life. “I think that’s the trick, that’s the secret, to try to do my best and not compare myself with anyone. I’m following my path, giving my all, and it’s been working out for me so far, but I still haven’t achieved anything,” continued the Spaniard, forgetting the Euro 2024 winners’ medal already stashed in his trophy cabinet. Let’s hope he has room for a few more.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Yes, I’m listening sometimes, I’ve heard some noise that perhaps it’s ‘too easy’ for Chelsea – that’s not easy, to beat two times Manchester City, two times Arsenal and two times [Manchester] United. That’s unbelievable. It’s a lot of work every day. I never let my players breathe. I know, the last few weeks, it was difficult for them. That’s the mentality you need when you want to be one of the best” – Sonia Bompastor bigs up her Chelsea team after they secured a sixth consecutive WSL crown by winning 1-0 at Manchester United, with Arsenal earlier getting gubbed 5-2 by Aston Villa. While we’re here, Tom Garry dissects this latest title, while Sophie Downey has player ratings for the champs.

It’s easy to mock Ange Postecoglou as Spurs have had a difficult season and are 16th in the Premier League (scroll down). But at least he’s in the semi-finals of Bigger Vase and all he has to do to get to the final is beat a small Norwegian team whose stadium only has a capacity of 8,270 over two legs. Surely he can do that can’t he? Oh … and double oh” – Noble Francis.

I can’t help thinking your reference to John Terry (yesterday’s Football Daily) is a little out of date. Especially when you could instead refer to Riqui Puig who knacked his ACL in the semi of last year’s MLS Cup and had to watch from the sidelines (in a very nice suit) as LA Galaxy won it all. That didn’t stop him from donning a full kit for their trophy presentation, in a move he surely picked up watching the 2012 Big Cup final” – Tom Dowler.

Everton have previous when it comes to local naming-based b@nter (yesterday’s Football Daily letters). My time as a student in Liverpool coincided with the opening of a sparkly new shopping centre, Liverpool One. The Toffees duly opened a megastore in it called Everton Two” – Isaac Proud.

Send letters to [email protected]. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day winner is … Isaac Proud. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, can be viewed here.