Lamine Yamal’s former Barcelona youth coach believes his best traits could shine more in another position | OneFootball

Over at FC Barcelona, the most prominent player within the squad right now is undoubtedly Lamine Yamal. Despite still just being 17 years old, the young Spaniard has taken over the world by storm. Without a doubt, the young Barcelona winger is already considered a global superstar.

From brand deals to collaborations, the youngster is moving fast both on and off the pitch. However, it is his ability with the ball at his feet which has completely changed the game, and he may as well be the most brilliant player to ever perform as well as him at his tender age.

Yamal’s former Barcelona youth coach speaks up

Lamine Yamal celebrates after scoring for Barcelona. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

However, no matter how good a player is, there is always room for improvement or improvisation at some point. In Yamal’s case, that kind of change would be hard to suggest considering that he is already a Ballon d’Or contender and among the best right-wingers in the world if not the best.

Still, a former youth coach of his at Barcelona believes that there might be another position where Yamal could shine even more. As highlighted by SPORT, Jordi Font formerly coached Yamal at youth level and recently spoke about the Barcelona sensation as well while speaking about Marc Bernal.

Similarity to Messi and possible positional shift

Lionel Messi thrived across various positions for club and country. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

When asked if he could be converted into a different kind of player from what he currently is, the former Barcelona youth coach compared his evolution to that of Lionel Messi’s, a player who excelled both as a right-winger but also as a centre-forward and deep-lying playmaker whenever he needed to be one:

“He’s evolving similarly to Messi. With that kind of talent, the more involved you are in the game, the more decisive you become.”

Even with Yamal, he suggested that a more central position could potentially enable his best traits and qualities to shine even more than they currently do:

“If he plays more through the middle, there are more opportunities for his best traits to shine.”

Coincidentally, a positional shift might not be the only thing that Yamal takes on from Lionel Messi. In fact, the youngster is now expected to take on the number ‘10’ shirt at Barcelona as well, a number that previously belonged to the Argentinean during his time at the Catalan club.