Yamal can emulate Messi, Cruyff at Barça – Deco

Barcelona sporting director Deco has said Lamine Yamal has everything needed to become “a reference player” at the club.

Yamal, 17, one of the stars in Spain‘s Euro 2024 winning team, has scored five goals and set up five more in 11 appearances for Barça this season.

“Lamine is writing his history at Barca,” Deco told RAC 1 radio. “Like [Lionel Messi], like Johan [Cruyff], [Andres] Iniesta or Ronaldinho did in their time. He has everything to be a reference player in his club. It is wonderful to have him here, appreciate him and look after him.

“He has decision-making that is very difficult to see in someone his age.”

Yamal has claimed several records since making his debut aged 15 in 2023. At 16, he became the youngest scorer in LaLiga history and the youngest player ever to feature at a European Championship. He won the Young Player of the Tournament at Euro 2024.

Those achievements have seen him draw comparisons with Barça legend Messi. Deco, who played four seasons with Messi at Barça, said: “Leo was a slightly more explosive player at the time but Lamine is 17 years old and is winning.

“Leo was fortunate to grow up in an environment of a club that was winning, a generation that was winning, this gave him a little more time. Lamine is part of a renewal, of a generation that is being created. The good thing about Lamine is that he has an unusual maturity for his age and what he is experiencing.”

Barca president Joan Laporta said this week that his club had turned down an offer worth €250 million ($270m) for Yamal in the summer.

Yamal returned to Barça this week after picking up a hamstring strain in Spain’s game against Denmark.

Deco said Barcelona must protect Yamal from overload to avoid injuries.

“It is evident that young players are subject to many matches,” Deco said. “Too many. Also Gavi or Pedri, but not only ours. It seems like we risk our lives in every game. We have to take care of Lamine, he is still in the formative process…”

Laporta, meanwhile, revealed his club is close to signing “the best sponsporship kit agreement in the world of football” with Nike.

Laporta said the re-negotiation of the club’s agreement with the American sports company is close to being finalised.

“We will soon announce the best sponsorship kit agreement in the world of football,” Laporta told Barca One.

“We could have signed it in the month of August but I made a commitment to Barcelona fans that I wanted the best contract on the market. “That offer was matched. Now we are finalising the deal that will sponsor our kit in the next 10 years.”