Yamal says he wants to be remembered as himself, not compared to Pelé or Messi
The short version
- Yamal, 19, told L'Équipe he does not compare himself to Pelé, Messi or other greats
- He has won the World Cup and Euros with Spain and the Kopa Trophy twice
- He is among the favorites for this year's Ballon d'Or, won last season by Ousmane Dembélé
- Yamal said he plays to make history but that it is not an obsession
The Barcelona and Spain forward told L'Équipe he aims to make history but does not obsess over surpassing football's greatest players.
Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal says he has no desire to measure himself against the game's all-time greats. In an interview with L'Équipe, the 19-year-old Spaniard said his ambition is to be remembered on his own terms rather than as someone chasing the legacies of Pelé or Lionel Messi.
"I play to make history, so that, in 30 years, young people say: 'He was really good, too,'" Yamal said. "But it isn't an obsession; I never think: 'I want to be better than Pelé, better than Messi.' I don't want to compare myself with anyone. I want to be Lamine Yamal, I want to be remembered as Lamine Yamal and I hope to be among the greatest."
Yamal has already won the World Cup and the European Championship with Spain, and his rise has come during a strong period for Barcelona in Spain. He has twice claimed the Kopa Trophy, given to the best young player, though he has yet to win the Ballon d'Or. Ousmane Dembélé took last season's award, and Yamal enters this year's edition among the favorites.
Speaking to Movistar+, Yamal pointed out that football has had major stars such as Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Diego Maradona, but none had won so much at such a young age, with Pelé the closest earlier example.
