Lionel Messi’s former Barcelona coach reveals who is better at 17 between him & Lamine Yamal

His exceptional performances for the Spanish giants have naturally drawn comparisons to Messi’s meteoric rise at the same age.

Now, one of Messi’s former coaches at Barcelona has weighed in on the debate, offering his perspective on how Yamal measures up to the Argentine legend in his early years.

On Wednesday, Yamal played a pivotal role in Barcelona’s dramatic fightback, helping secure a thrilling 3-3 draw against Inter Milan in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final.

During live coverage of the match for Dutch outlet Ziggo Sport, former Real Madrid and Inter star Wesley Sneijder shared that he had received a message from Henk ten Cate—Messi’s ex-coach—suggesting Yamal may have already surpassed Messi’s early career achievements.

Speaking on Ziggo Sport, Sneijder said: “Henk ten Cate just said that Yamal is already further along than Messi was at that age. And he has experienced Messi up close.

“Yes, I had app contact with Henk. He told me. We have to believe that, because he was close. So then we believe that: Yamal is further along.”

Some fans may find it surprising, but when comparing the stats of Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi at the age of 17, one player stands out clearly.

At 17, Messi had only featured in nine matches for Barcelona, netting just one goal and failing to register an assist.

In contrast, Yamal has already reached 100 appearances for the club, boasting an impressive record of 22 goals and 33 assists, averaging more than a goal contribution per game.

Of course, Yamal still has a long way to go to match Messi’s legendary career, which includes 858 goals and multiple prestigious titles, such as the World Cup and an unprecedented eight Ballon d’Or trophies.

When Cristiano Ronaldo was 17, he was ahead of Messi in terms of experience, having played 19 times for Sporting CP, scoring five goals and providing four assists.

However, even those numbers pale in comparison to Yamal’s achievements, particularly as he secured a major international trophy with Spain at a younger age than either Messi or Ronaldo did with Argentina or Portugal.

Following Yamal’s stellar performances in Spain’s triumphant Euro 2024 campaign, Ronaldo was asked to share his thoughts on the young talent during a discussion with former Manchester United teammate Rio Ferdinand.

Speaking on the Cristiano YouTube channel, Ronaldo said: “I see huge potential, great talent.

“He’ll need luck because he is very young , I hope he does not have any problems

“He was in a contest that helped him a lot, he was in the Spain national team which is really really good and I think he has huge potential.

“But let’s see during his way what’s going to happen but I believe he is gonna be one of the best players in this generation.”