Barcelona star Lamine Yamal has expressed his determination to remain true to himself ahead of the team’s upcoming Champions League semi-final clash against Inter Milan on Wednesday. The 17-year-old, who has quickly become a key figure for Barcelona on the right flank, stated that he does not feel the need to be compared to Lionel Messi, the club’s all-time top scorer, despite both players coming through the La Masia youth academy.
Yamal, who is aiming to help lead Barcelona back to the Champions League final, stressed that comparisons to Messi are unnecessary. “I don’t compare myself to him, because I don’t compare myself to anyone — and much less with Messi,” Yamal said during a press conference on Tuesday.
While acknowledging Messi as the greatest player of all time, Yamal emphasized his focus on self-improvement. “We are thinking about improving ourselves, every day, and on being better the next day,” he added.
If Yamal takes the field as expected against Inter Milan, it will mark his 100th appearance for Barcelona across all competitions. The talented forward recently contributed to Barcelona’s Copa del Rey victory over Real Madrid, setting up two goals in the final.
Yamal, who is relishing his first European semi-final, shared his excitement for the match but dismissed any fears ahead of the big game. “I’ve not had any fear, but I have motivation ahead of the game — I think the butterflies in your stomach are good, all of us players have them,” he explained. “But fear… I left fear in the park in Mataro a long time ago.”
