The talent of Lamine Yamal continues to captivate both locals and outsiders, and how could it not? At just 17 years old, the Rocafonda native has shown such promising and special athletic abilities that many already compare him to the breakthrough that, at one point, was had by who is now considered one of the best, if not the best footballer in history: Lionel Andrés Messi.
On this occasion, Marcos Senna, a European champion with the Spanish national team in 2008 and one of the prominent figures in the history of Villarreal CF, has had the opportunity to praise the forward of FC Barcelona. Senna did not hesitate to acknowledge the athletic abilities of the '19' Blaugrana, placing him above the skills displayed by the star of Real Madrid, Vinicius Jr.
"Both are tremendous players, but I much prefer Lamine. The reason is that he has composure. When they used to ask me before whom I preferred, Messi or Cristiano, I always preferred Messi for that reason, for his composure. He had more presence in the game. More diversity in passing... other things," he said in an analysis for AWEX Education.
Moreover, Senna delved into why he believes the 'jewel' from Barça is more complete than 'Vini Jr.', without diminishing the performance of the Real Madrid forward. "Vinicius sometimes pulls off passes that are brutal. The other day he gave one to Rodrygo against Espanyol that seemed like it was done by Modric... but Lamine strikes the ball much better and in one-on-one situations, he impresses even more. If he already had Vinicius' speed, he would be the perfect dribbler," he concluded.
Marcos Senna also took the opportunity to talk about Andrés Iniesta
To wrap up, on another topic, Senna expressed his regret that Andrés Iniesta, who will soon confirm his retirement from professional football, never won at least one Ballon d'Or, mentioning which, in his opinion, he should have received. "Andrés should have won at least one Ballon d'Or, the one from 2010. He is a global reference, not just Spanish. His time has come. He is one of those players who should never stop playing. He has always been incredible. As a player and as a person. A joy," he concluded.