Lamine Yamal Cannot Be Considered Great If He Hasn't Played In A World Cup

Lamine Yamal, a young player for Barcelona FC, has been in the news for a while. He is currently among the world’s top young players.

Francisco Maturana, the manager of Colombia’s national team, has stated that Lamine Yamal should only be compared to Argentina’s Lionel Messi if the young player participates in a World Cup.

Maturana stated that Lamine Yamal cannot be compared to Messi until he participates in a World Cup.

It would be “bold” to compare Lamine Yamal to Messi right now, the Columbian manager said.

“Once the 17-year-old plays in a World Cup, he could be included in the conversations along with the likes of Maradona, Pele and Messi”.

According to Maturana, a player who hasn’t played in a World Cup cannot be regarded as a great player of the sport.

“Where did Pele, Maradona, Messi become famous? All in a World Cup,” said Maturana in an interview.

“A World Cup is a fantastic path. Messi, Maradona, Jairzinho, Pele, Ronaldinho? Is there a top player that hasn’t played in a World Cup?” Maturana questioned.

The 75-year-old claims that even though he was the star of the 2024 Euros last summer, contributing five goals, including one in the semi-final, Lamine Yamal can only be compared with players like Maradona, Pele, and Messi after participating in a World Cup.

“A player only feels like a player because of what he’s told”, he ended.

With European qualifying scheduled to start in March 2025, Yamal, who is currently 17 years old, will try to make his 2026 World Cup debut with Spain.