Former Barcelona and Spain striker David Villa expressed his admiration for Amin Yamal after his rapid rise to the top.
Yamal had an exceptional 2024, winning Euro 2024 with Spain, where he was named the best young player of the tournament.
The La Masia graduate also collected prestigious individual awards, including the Copa Cup and the Golden Boy Award.
Villa was quick to praise the young sensation, in a recent interview like“He's a great kid,” he said. “How he plays and how he understands football… It's true that I don't know him personally, but I've been with him a few times and he seems very calm and focused.
“This is not a blowout for a footballer that will last a few months.
“He's been there for a while, where you can tell he could have made a mistake and the opposite is true. He's very good and every time you see him play, he plays better.
“He also knows what it means to be a hero.”
David Villa: “I will not compare Lamine Yamal to Messi. I think comparing any player to Messi is annoying. Lamine is already a global star and has achieved important things in the past two years and I am very excited about him and the fans have the right to be excited about him… pic.twitter.com/iq37BnMdrB
– Barcelona Universal (@BarcaUniversal) January 6, 2025
When asked about the comparisons between Lamine and Lionel Messi, Villa responded that the two were not compatible.
“I think comparing any player to Messi is annoying these days. Lamin Yamal is already a global star,” Vela added.
“He's achieved important things for two years, and as Cole, I'm excited again.
He added: “Of course, the fans have the right to be excited about him, but I do not think it is necessary to compare him to Messi because he will have a very good career.”
A tense race for the Spanish League title
David Villa also shared his thoughts on the current La Liga title race, which sees his former clubs Barcelona and Atletico Madrid competing alongside defending champions Real Madrid.
While Villa enjoys seeing Atletico and Barcelona in contention, both have warned against underestimating Real Madrid.
🎂 Happy birthday David Villa! 🥳 pic.twitter.com/nAqnwRk2vd
– FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) December 3, 2024
“Good, despite Madrid’s monitoring,” he said. They are always there. Well, in short, they are the biggest clubs in the country and in the last few years they have shown, why not say so, a lot of edge over the rest.
“Looking at their signings, it was clear that the three of them would be involved in fighting again and the truth is that is nice.
“Having a rivalry between more than two teams or with a very prominent leader is great for football fans.
“Of course, I'm a big fan of two of these three teams because of my past with them and the truth is that I enjoy it a lot.
He added: “I hope that the league will continue like this until the end. I would like the league to be decided at the last minute, and it will be between Atletico and Barcelona.”
