Lamine Yamal grew up watching some of Barcelona’s best ever players, but there was one star he would ‘watch for hours on end’.
The 17-year-old was ‘baptised’ by club legend Lionel Messi as a baby in a charity photoshoot, with the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner helping to bathe him in what has been dubbed a ‘football baptism’.
Messi and Yamal shared wholesome memories – but the Argentine icon isn’t his idolX / LamineeYamal
But while Blaugrana starlet Yamal has a lot of respect for the 2022 World Cup winner, he wasn’t his No.1 childhood hero.
“I remember when Neymar was at Santos. Messi, David Villa, Pedro —those were all Barca legends,” he told French publication France Football via Mundo Deportivo.
“Those were the initial images that introduced me to the world of football. My earliest memories are from home with my parents.
“We would gather after school at a friend’s place who had a computer, watching Neymar’s videos for hours on end.”
He added: “Then I would return home and continue watching in my room, relishing every moment.”
Born in 2007, Yamal will have a decent enough memory of the days of Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez leading Barca’s line and dominating LaLiga while he was in the academy.
And he doubled down on his view on Neymar on LaLiga TV before Barca’s Champions League clash against Bayern Munich on Wednesday.
He said: “My childhood idol was Neymar, he was the one I looked up to and watched every video there was.
“Messi, obviously, for me, has always been the best, but I indeed loved the way Neymar was and the way he played.”
Neymar played for Barcelona between 2013 and 2017, winning two Spanish top-flight titles, three Copa del Reys and the Champions League.
Yamal has revealed he was obsessed with Neymar growing upGetty Images
And the winger is doing his idol proudGetty
In total, he chipped in with 105 goals and 76 assists from 186 appearances in all competitions.
Neymar is also Brazil’s all-time top goalscorer, edging Pele’s feat of 77 by two goals and counting.
While he is just 14 appearances shy of equalling Cafu’s record of 142 caps for the Selecao’s national team.
The trickster linked up Paris Saint-Germain after departing the Nou Camp, before moving to Saudi Arabia in August 2023 to join Al Hilal.
Yamal meanwhile has established himself as one of the world’s top forwards since bursting on the scene last season.
Since his debut at the age of 15 in April 2023, he has registered 12 goals and 15 assists from 72 outings.
After winning Euro 2024 with Spain, where he was named as the tournament’s best youngster, Yamal has had a strong start to the campaign having been directly involved in 11 goals.
And he wants to push Barca to glory for years to come, just like Messi and Neymar once did.
He remarked: “I would like to be remembered as a legend in Barcelona’s history. In the end, my life depends on football and Barcelona.
“The club has given me everything and I hope to be here all my life.”
