Pep Guardiola gives his opinion on comparison between Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi

Overview

• Pep Guardiola felt Lamine Yamal can be compared with Lionel Messi after the Spaniard has played for 15 years
• Guardiola agreed that Yamal is better than Messi at his age in terms of potential
• The Manchester City Manager felt that longevity is key for the players to attain a legacy

Pep Guardiola gave his opinion on the comparison between Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi. While the Manchester United Manager dismissed it as an improper comparison, he felt it could happen when the Spaniard completes a career of 15 years. He felt getting compared with Messi itself is a huge deal for Yamal and claimed it is similar to a painter getting compared to Van Gogh.

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"We should let Lamine Yamal carve his own path, and when he plays for fifteen years, we can say whether he’s better than Messi or not. The fact that he is compared to Messi is, in itself, a huge deal. It’s like comparing a painter to Van Gogh," said Pep Guardiola in an interview with Barca Universal.

While Pep agreed that Yamal is better at his age than Messi was early in his career, he felt that maintaining consistency for a long time is the key to attaining a legacy. Pep maintained that there are several talented players in the world, and Yamal would stand out only if he could be at his prime as long as Messi.

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"If Yamal wants to catch up with Messi in terms of goals, he will have to score another 500 or so," - Pep Guardiola

"When Messi joined Barcelona's first team, he didn't play as many games in the beginning compared to Yamal now. So, if you compare the two at that age, Yamal is better now. Maintaining this level in the long term is the hardest thing. Messi has been at this level for 20 years. That is exceptional," added Pep Guardiola.

"If Yamal wants to catch up with Messi in terms of goals, he will have to score another 500 or so. That is almost 30 per season. Is Yamal the best in the world right now? No, he's not, but he's well on his way. I don't think there's one player who stands out above the rest right now, because there are just so many good players," Guardiola concluded in his statement.