Football has a funny way of bringing things full circle, and FC Barcelona are no strangers to it. Many instances have occurred in the club’s recent memory that rekindle the feelings of times gone by. However, that is what makes football poetic at times, and Barcelona knows all about poetic justice.
It is not an unfamiliar tale to see new emerging talents be compared to the greats from before. Barcelona have seen many of their emerging starlets be hailed as the ‘New Messi’ or something along the same lines, but almost never did it remain long-lived.
However, there is something special about a certain 16-year-old winger currently dazzling on the biggest of stages. Lamine Yamal, aged just 16, has been a revelation for both Spain and FC Barcelona this season.
Having already excelled and broken too many records to count at Barcelona, he is now doing the same for Spain in EUROS. Moreover, one of Spain’s most prominent stars in this tournament, Fabian Ruiz, also seems to find a recollection of a former Barcelona star in the young winger, as per Sport:
“I think Lamine and Neymar share that boldness, the kind of players who move quickly with the ball and are faster when they have it than without it.”
“They are similar, although I think Lamine is more of a winger while Neymar likes to cut inside and link up with others. But they have many things in common because Lamine is doing things at 16 that Neymar did at the same age.”
For someone who watches Yamal so closely and has been playing with him on a regular basis in this tournament, Ruiz’s words hold some weight to them. The Barcelona youngster has lit up the Euros this time around, and many people have come out to praise his quality and displays.
Ruiz and Yamal have been exceptional together in the Spanish system as well. The PSG midfielder’s latest goal in the tournament was assisted by Yamal himself. Together with the help of many other Spanish stars, some of whom happen to be from Barcelona, the team under Luis de la Fuente has become one of the favorites of the tournament itself.
Moreover, Ruiz has also developed a strong partnership with Nico Williams, a player who Barcelona now wish to strongly pursue. The latter has been exploding in this competition, and it has only gone on to fuel Barça’s desire to make him one of their own.
