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Cesc Fàbregas has told ESPN he thinks Barcelona teenager Lamine Yamal is “the most talented player in the world.”
A 2010 World Cup winner and two-time European Champion with Spain, Fabregas, now coach of Serie A side Como, is impressed by what he has seen so far from the 17-year-old.
Asked who he considered to be the most talented player in the world, Fàbregas said: “I would probably say Lamine Yamal… for the impact that he’s having. When you have this type of talent, this type of quality, for me to see the freedom and how he expresses himself on the pitch, it’s fantastic to see because of the creativity.”
Yamal, who has scored five goals and has five assists in 11 appearances for Barcelona this season, has claimed several records since his debut.
At 16, he became the youngest goal scorer in LaLiga history and the youngest player ever to feature at a European Championship. He also won the Young Player of the Tournament at the 2024 Euros after helping Spain claim the title.
“I think he’s a unique talent,” Fàbregas said. “He’s someone that you just need to let him go out and play football. He will always make a difference when he’s pressed. When he’s not pressed, he always finds the right solution, even if it’s an individual action or a one, two, or the last ball, or give continuity to the play, whatever the game demands in that moment.
“He’s capable of reading [a game] and he’s capable of understanding what it needs.
“I think this is already a sign of a big player, of a very mature player. And what I like the most is that it feels like he’s playing in the street. It feels like everything becomes so easy for him. He’s free in the mind.”
Fàbregas, who spent three seasons at Barça alongside Lionel Messi, understands why people draw similarities between Lamal and the Argentina captain. However, the former Arsenal midfielder believes Yamal must follow “his own path.”
“I can understand it [comparisons with Messi],” he said.
“I don’t like it because I think every player is different and we all have our own story. And now Lamine needs to follow his own road and create his own pathway. But definitely there are signs that always make you go back to what Leo [Messi] used to be. I think it’s completely normal, especially also the Barcelona fans coming from a difficult period of years where there’s been some difficulties.
“So I think the excitement that Lamine brings to the table nowadays, it’s very important. It’s like Leo, you know, in difficult times he stepped up for the team.
“And I think with Lamine, the potential is there to do very, very well for many years at Barcelona.”