Vincent Kompany labels Lamine Yamal as the new Lionel Messi

Although Lionel Messi's retirement from Camp Nou in 2021 left a significant hole at Barcelona, the team has made considerable progress in the past two years, primarily because of Yamal's rise to prominence. Under Hansi Flick, the Spanish wonderkid has had a significant effect in both club as well as international football and currently serves as a lucky charm for FC Barcelona.

Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany praised Barca's La Masia academy for spotting a player like Yamal, who he thinks has already begun following in Messi's footsteps, ahead of their Champions League matchup against the Catalan powerhouses this coming week.

He added, "It's exceptional for Barça as a club [to have Yamal] so shortly after the departure of a player like Messi. For my generation, Messi was one of the key figures of our era. To shortly after this player leaving already have potentially a player who can replace him is quite unique. Full credit to [Barça's academy] La Masia for always trusting these players and giving them the chance.”

But the Bayern Munich manager also emphasized that his squad will avoid making Yamal the exclusive focus. The former Burnley manager added, "The question for us is not about stopping [Yamal], but trying to win a game against Barcelona, which means [stopping] all the players, not one. The focus is on the team, not one player, but he's an exceptional player."

“You can feel that they have confidence” : Hansi Flick

Hansi Flick and his Barcelona team completely humiliated Bayern Munich with a 4-1 victory in his first game against the team since he left in 2021. Another Bayern alumni, Robert Lewandowski, netted a goal of his own, while Raphinha performed an electrifying hat trick.

Flick, who memorably won the team's only sextuple, managed Bayern for two seasons. It should come as no surprise that Flick chose to be diplomatic and explicitly praised his opponent, Vincent Kompany, for his efforts at Bayern in a brief period of time. Flick said, “Vincent Kompany is doing a very good job. I like watching them. You can feel that they have confidence and enjoy football.”