Steve McManaman makes extraordinary Lamine Yamal claim: “Even better than Messi” | OneFootball

Barcelona have made a fantastic start to the 2026-27 season, and at the forefront has been teenage sensation Lamine Yamal. The 19-year-old failed to score in his opening two matches, but he has since netted back-to-back braces against Rayo Vallecano and Valencia – and he was the star of the show against the latter, whom the Catalans defeated 5-0 on Sunday.

Lamine Yamal has made a remarkable start to his career. He played a leading role in two La Liga triumphs for Barcelona, while he has also helped Spain win Euro 2024 and the 2026 World Cup. This has earned him a lot of praise, with many seeing him with the potential to be one of the best players the world has ever seen.

Former Real Madrid player Steve McMananaman is also of the same opinion, as he made it clear that he sees Lamine Yamal as the best teenager in football history (via Sport).

“I think he’s already a world star. Without a doubt. But I think he’s still going to get better. He’s too good. He just has to keep working hard and improving his game. The more experience he gains, the better player he will be. I hope he doesn’t have any injuries. He has already suffered a muscle injury. If you’re a Barcelona fan, you know that first it was Gavi, who had a major injury. Then it was Pedri and he also had a serious injury. Now it’s Lamine. I hope he can stay away from major injuries. When you play so much football and you are so important at 16, 17 or 18 years old, it is very difficult.

“But I think he’s the best we’ve ever seen. As a 16 or 17-year-old player, he’s the best teenager we’ve ever seen. And I compare him to Michael Owen at 17, Leo (Messi) at 17 or 18. But I think Lamine is even better than them.”

McManaman on Araujo: He’s a very good defender

McManaman was also asked about Ronald Araujo, who left Barcelona in the summer to join Liverpool on a season-long loan.

“I like him a lot. I watch a lot of La Liga and he’s a very good defender. I know that he had problems with injuries and that afterwards he took some time away from football due to some personal problems. But as a defender, I think he’s really good. Many Liverpool fans are worried that the team may have problems at right-back. But, as you know, Ronald has played several times as a right-back. I have seen him play there when Kounde became a centre-back and Ronald was in charge of marking Vinícius Júnior. And he did it really well.”