“We’ll try to stop him… but it’s impossible,” says Inter Milan manager of Lamine Yamal | OneFootball

Lamine Yamal needs no introduction. It’s truly astounding how, at just 17 years of age, the Spaniard weaves through defences and perfectly places his shot. It’s reminiscent, in fact, of a certain Lionel Messi during his early days in Catalunya.

He’s certainly a youngster with a penchant for stunning supporters in semi-finals. At Euro 2024, he smashed two of Pelé’s records with a curling strike that restored parity against France. Last week, he wowed fans at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys with a phenomenal effort in Barça’s thrilling 3-3 draw with Inter Milan.

And now, as Barça approach the second leg of that UEFA Champions League semi-final tie, all eyes are on Yamal again. If anyone is to provide a moment of magic, it’ll be the 17-year-old; his teammates are no longer surprised when he achieves the unachievable.

Speaking to the media in a pre-match press conference on Monday, Dani Olmo said of the youngster: “We know what a player he is, and how important he is. I’m not surprised because I’ve seen him make the plays over and over again.”

“He’s calm, and he’s eager to show why he’s the best,” Olmo continued.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that perhaps his teammates were just being polite, but no. Yamal has caught the attention of superstars across the globe, with Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka left astonished by his performance against Inter Milan last week.

“Doing what he’s doing at his age, what can you say? He’s unreal. It’s not normal. No one does it,” the England international, billed as one of the most talented youngsters during his own teenage years, told Sky Sports.

In an interview with Sky Sport Italy, Alessandro Bastoni – a staple of the Inter defence – labelled the Barça starboy as one of the best players he’s ever played against. “I’d faced him at the Euros,” he recalled, “and he wasn’t quite at this level yet”.

While they’re able to admire Yamal’s superstar ability, the teenager has left opponents scratching their heads, too. Simone Inzaghi told the media on Monday that Inter “need to keep him away from the ball” when the sides clash in Milan on Tuesday, “but it’s impossible.”

“Whether that is a double marking job or one player following him closely, we will try to always pay attention to him.”

“Seeing him live, he’s so dangerous. Everyone gives him the ball. What impressed me was his speed of thought, he’s such a quick thinker. Even before receiving the ball, he always knows what move to make.”

Olmo isn’t convinced that double-marking Yamal will help Inter, though.

“Double marking? That means there’ll be a free player, and he’s already shown he can play against one, two or three. That way, there’ll be more free players.”

“No problem,” he smiled. And that’s the scary part: everyone knows how good Lamine Yamal is – there’s just nothing they can do about it.