Never seen anything like it’ – Alvaro Morata knew Lamine Yamal was ‘one of the fenomeni’ after one training session as he backs Spain & Barcelona wonderkid to fill Lionel Messi & Cristiano Ronaldo void

Teenage wonderkid Yamal has been rewriting the history books with club and country, breaking La Liga and Champions League records while also becoming a European Championship winner with Spain. All of that has been achieved at the age of 17, with there still plenty of potential to be unlocked in his game.

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Yamal has been drawing obvious comparisons to fellow La Masia academy graduate Messi, with the youngster being tipped to follow in the iconic footsteps of an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner. Morata is among those convinced that another world-beater has emerged.

• Getty/GOAL

  WHAT MORATA SAID

  Morata captained Spain to Euro 2024 glory and has told The Athletic of his experiences with Yamal and why the hottest of prospects will eventually occupy the same talent bracket as all-time greats: “He’s got a very determined character. That’s hard to find in a person his age. He’s got a very clear idea about what he wants to do. He’s got a lot of personality and has everything in front of him. Honestly I’ve never seen anything like it. I’ve never seen a player like it. One training session was enough to realise he’s different, that he’s one of the fenomeni.

  “Every 20 or 30 years one or two emerge like Cristiano and Messi. For me, he’s got everything it takes to make history. I’m convinced that if he doesn’t become the greatest player in Spain’s history, he’ll definitely be one of them. He already made history with us by winning the Euro. He was 16 when the tournament started and I hope he keeps this up because he’s my team-mate, because he can make me win more things with the national team and because my kids want to meet him, get to know him, go watch the games and all that.”

  WHAT NEXT FOR YAMAL?

  Yamal has already passed 60 appearances for Barcelona and earned 17 senior caps for Spain. He was a contender for the 2024 Ballon d’Or, walking away with the Kopa Trophy at that ceremony, and is expected to emulate Messi and Ronaldo by winning a Golden Ball at some stage.