Again when Lionel Messi was enjoying maybe the perfect soccer ever seen, Lamine Yamal’s eyes had been drawn elsewhere.
Barcelona’s new nice hope has at all times been a fan of the group, and went to the Camp Nou as a baby to look at his future membership.
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There he noticed membership icons like Xavi, Luis Suarez and Andres Iniesta, however he stays a fanboy of another person to this present day.
When participating in some quick-fire questions with Mundo Deportivo, Yamal was requested which participant he’d need to be in one other life and shortly replied: “Neymar.”
However when requested who the perfect athlete on the earth is, the 17-year-old answered: “Messi”.
Yamal has beforehand defined his desire for the Brazilian over the Argentine, stating: “I used to be 5 years previous once I noticed him [Neymar] at Santos however seven years previous once I noticed him in individual at FC Barcelona on the Camp Nou it was unimaginable to see him.
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“Sure, it’s true that Messi was there who was additionally unimaginable, however he was one thing completely completely different.
“Neymar has at all times been my idol. He’s a star, a soccer legend.”
When requested to elucidate his snub of his fellow La Masia graduate who most Barca followers take into account the best of all time, Yamal selected to deal with Brazil’s all-time high scorer.
“He made me go see the video games,” the teenager added. “He made me have enjoyable, it was a spectacle, it was good to look at him play.
“I’ve at all times stated that the perfect in historical past is Leo Messi, however the participant I preferred to look at was Neymar.”
Yamal often replicates Neymar on social media, copying his haircut and sporting his Santos shirt.
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Neymar signed for Barca from Santos in 2013 and went on to type considered one of soccer’s greatest-ever attacking tridents alongside Messi and Suarez.
The trio received the 2015 Champions League and two LaLigas collectively earlier than Neymar’s notorious 2017 transfer to Paris Saint-Germain.
The deal nonetheless stands as the most costly in soccer historical past at £200m, and it destroyed Barca as they immediately splurged on new gamers who didn’t stay as much as their value tags.
Nonetheless, though Neymar’s time in France was largely deemed a failure as he did not land the membership their first Champions League and Ballon d’Or, Yamal nonetheless liked the participant, even at Al Hilal.
The pair posed collectively on the Globe Soccer Awards in 2024, and Neymar commented on his prodigy.
“Lamine Yamal is a good participant, a crack,” he stated. “Clearly we share some comparable traits in our type of play.
“I feel he has every thing to turn into one of many largest stars in world soccer.”
Yamal’s reply of Neymar wasn’t the one attention-grabbing one, although, as he was additionally requested for his favorite three gamers who don’t play for Barca.
Yamal responded: “[Jamal] Musiala, Neymar, Savinho.”
And when requested if he might signal considered one of them, he replied: “You need me to say Neymar… however no: Musiala, who has a contract.”
There was additionally a cheeky reply when he was requested to call his favorite metropolis break, and he stated Madrid, the place the place he scored twice in a 4-0 demolition of Actual in October.