Lamine Yamal’s rise at Barcelona has usually been framed as the start of an period. To many, the comparisons to Lionel Messi really feel inevitable; to others, {the teenager}’s poise makes him a future inheritor to Cristiano Ronaldo’s longevity. However Premier League nice Louis Saha has injected a sobering be aware into the worldwide dialog, insisting that amid the thrill, there’s a harmful pathway that would pull the teen astray. His startling statement consists of Neymar, and it comes packaged with a nine-word parallel that Saha believes soccer ought to take significantly.
In a season the place Lamine Yamal continues to be the face of Barcelona’s rebuild, and as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo close to the ultimate chapters of their historic careers, Saha has stepped into the talk with a perspective fashioned each by expertise and warning. The Frenchman didn’t mince his phrases when requested about Yamal’s potential to achieve the heights of Messi. “Can Yamal attain Messi’s stage and even surpass him? That will surely be nice for him, however I don’t imagine it,” he stated in an interview, through Purpose.
In line with Saha, expertise is just not what Yamal lacks. The difficulty lies elsewhere, in one thing different greats had in suffocating abundance: an all-consuming dedication to the craft. “Yamal has expertise, however I don’t see the fervour for soccer in him like Cristiano Ronaldo had. These guys had been utterly devoted to soccer.” This notion of obsession—a phrase usually used to explain Ronaldo’s relentless decades-long pursuit of excellence, and Messi’s whole devotion to the sport—serves as Saha’s benchmark. He fears Yamal could also be drifting towards a distinct trajectory, one he feels soccer has seen earlier than.
It’s on this second that the ex-Manchester United star argued that exterior noise, fame, and way of life distractions can overwhelm a prodigy in the event that they’re not ready. His sharpest comparability was pointed: “Some distractions are already round Yamal… I concern he would possibly stray off the trail, identical to Neymar.”
Neymar Jr, Lionel Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo
Solely later does Saha unveil the total nine-word parallel tying Yamal, Messi, Ronaldo, and Neymar collectively: “You will discover him dragged away from the sport.” In line with the previous striker, that is exactly the hazard that derailed the Brazilian’s ascent into the pantheon alongside Messi and Ronaldo. Neymar’s uncooked means, he insists, was “possibly even higher” than Yamal’s—and arguably near the 2 icons—however way of life decisions and exterior affect tugged him in conflicting instructions.
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The Neymar instance – Soccer’s nice ‘what if’
Few gamers in fashionable historical past have carried the extent of expectation Neymar as soon as shouldered. Saha believes that Neymar had all the pieces: “For me, possibly higher high quality.” However that high quality was not sufficient to withstand what he describes as a vortex of fame, stress, and misplaced priorities. “Generally the administration is just not simple… you could find your self dragged into one thing not helpful to your recreation.”
The inference is obvious: with out the unshakeable obsession of Messi and Ronaldo, even world-beating potential can fade. And with Yamal now turning into a world famous person earlier than even turning 19, Saha sees harmful similarities.
Neymar at Barcelona
The Yamal debate: Obsession vs. distraction
Yamal has already achieved moments of brilliance: a Ballon d’Or runner-up end, decisive contributions in La Liga, and historic milestones for membership and nation. But the noise surrounding him has grown simply as rapidly. The winger’s 18th birthday celebration controversy, his occasional outbursts on social media, and the headlines that adopted him lengthy after matches have fueled the 47-year-old’s fear.
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“Expertise might be wasted as a result of we’re beginning to see too many issues within the papers about him.” Saha believes that staying at Barcelona is important: “For the sake of the soccer we love… we would like him to develop in Barcelona and be steady.” A untimely mega-transfer, he warned—referencing Neymar’s transfer to Paris—might destabilize the teen.
