Comparing Yamal & Messi’s international stats after same no. of games | OneFootball

Lamine Yamal cannot escape the comparisons to Lionel Messi, and they’re especially inevitable ahead of their first-ever meeting in the 2026 World Cup final.

But how does Yamal’s international career with Spain stack up against Messi’s at the same stage?

Yamal has succeeded Messi in wearing Barcelona’s iconic No.10 shirt – and he seems to revel in the pressure and expectation that comes with that.

“We definitely have a lot in common, and that’s okay,” says Yamal.

“He wrote his legendary story and I hope to have a successful career like his. But more importantly, I want to play football my way, to write my own story, and to make people remember the name Lamine Yamal.”

The respect goes both ways.

“There’s a new generation of footballers who are very good and have many years ahead of them, but if I had to choose one because of his age, what he’s done so far, and the future he could have, it would be Lamine,” Messi said after his successor’s emergence.

“There’s no doubt, for me he’s the best.”

Having been given his professional debut for Barcelona at 15, and becoming Spain’s all-time youngest debutant at 16, Yamal has something of a headstart on Messi. He’s well ahead of where the eight-time Ballon d’Or-winning legend was at, at the same age.

Yamal has already won one major tournament with La Roja, playing a starring role and scoring an all-timer of a wondergoal against France en route to winning Euro 2024, and now he’s one game away from lifting the World Cup. Your reminder that Yamal only turned 19 last week.

By contrast, Messi didn’t reach a World Cup final until his third tournament. He was 27 when Argentina lost to Germany in the 2014 final in Brazil. Messi didn’t win a major trophy with his country until he was 34, with the Copa America in 2021. He was 35 and playing in his fifth World Cup by the time he got his hands on the biggest trophy of all.

Messi made his 32nd appearance for Argentina in a World Cup qualifier against Peru in September 2008. He was 21 years old, two years older than Yamal, at the time.

At that stage of his career, he’d also played in two major tournaments. But an injury issue reduced him to a fringe role in Argentina’s 2006 World Cup campaign, and he was an unused substitute in their quarter-final elimination to Germany. The following year he featured more prominently in La Albiceleste’s run to the Copa America, playing all 90 minutes in the 3-0 final defeat to Spain.

Yamal’s path might be altogether quite different, and it’ll be fascinating to see how his international career develops if he can win both a Euros and a World Cup before the age of 20.

After 32 international appearances, Yamal has produced 20 goal contributions to Lionel Messi’s 18. The Spain winger has scored seven goals and provided 13 assists, compared to Messi’s nine goals and nine assists. Yamal also has a marginally better average, averaging a goal or assist every 112 minutes compared to Messi’s 124.

Messi, though, was the more efficient goalscorer. Both players scored one penalty, but Messi still leads for total goals and non-penalty goals. He averaged a goal every 248 minutes and a non-penalty goal every 279 minutes, compared to Yamal’s 322 and 375, respectively.

Here’s how Yamal’s stats for Spain stack up against Messi after the same number of international appearances:

Lamine Yamal’s stats after 32 Spain appearances

Penalties: 1