‘Not Lionel Messi’: Barcelona Star Raphinha Believes Lamine Yamal Is More Like Neymar Jr
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Raphinha, feels Lamine Yamal’s playing style is more reminiscent of Neymar Jr.
Lamine Yamal is coping with the fame gained from his Euro performances. (AP Photo)
Lamine Yamal seems to have already proven his calibre to become the next big thing in world football. At the age of just 17, the Spanish winger has become a crucial component of the current Barcelona squad.
A product of the La Masia academy, Yamal has also drawn comparisons with the club legend Lionel Messi, thanks to his brilliant skills and ball control. His Barcelona teammate Raphinha, however, feels Yamal’s playing style is more reminiscent of Neymar Jr. The Brazillian forward had spent four years at the Catalan club and won as many as eight trophies including the historic treble in 2015.
Shedding light on Yamal’s dribbling style, Raphinha said in an interview with El Pais, “I see him more like Neymar – the dribbling, how fast he thinks to dribble. When you think you can steal the ball from him, he does something you’ve never seen in your life.”
Pairing up with Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha up front, Yamal has put up some enthralling performances this season. One of his best performances came in a recent La Liga clash against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu. Barcelona notched a dominant 4-0 win in the away fixture.
Yamal struck the last goal of the match to become the youngest scorer in the history of El Clasico. Overall, the youngster has already registered six goals and eight assists in his 15 appearances for Barcelona across the La Liga and the Champions League.
The other two Barcelona forwards– Lewandowski and Raphinha– have also made Hansi Flick proud this season. Lewandowski is currently the leading scorer in La Liga, having netted 14 goals in 12 games.
Raphinha has also been in scintillating form and has recorded seven goals in the Spanish league. He scored a hat-trick in the last Champions League outing where Barcelona beat Bayern Munich 4-1.
The Brazilian international remains humble despite enjoying a great season under Flick. “I don’t feel like a protagonist. I do know that I’m having a good season, but the whole team is the protagonist. When everyone is in form, it is natural for strikers to excel more, they are the ones who score goals. In my opinion, they are all protagonists,” Raphinha said, as per Goal.
Barcelona are the current topper in the La Liga table. They have endured just one defeat in 12 matches this season. In their last game, Barcelona defeated Espanyol 3-1 in a one-sided Catalan derby.
- Location :
Barcelona, Spain
