Xavi Hernández believes that Lamine Yamal "is one of the chosen ones" and sees him at Messi's level

Xavi Hernández gave an interview to the podcast 'Cronache di Spogliatoio' in which he expressed his admiration for Lamine Yamal. The man from Terrassa was the one who gave him his debut for FC Barcelona at just 15 years, nine months and 16 days old on April 23, 2023 against Betis, in addition to establishing him as a first-team player in the 23/24 season.

In that sense, the Terrassa native recalled his first impression of the Mataró native. The current Barça '10' made the leap from Juvenil A to the first team, without even passing through the reserve team, thanks to his enormous talent.

"At 15 or 16, he would dribble past professionals, and even in training sessions, the coaching staff often wondered who was the best, and practically every day, or almost, it was him," the Barça legend began.

Xavi is clear: Lamine can match Leo Messi

Lamine Yamal and Xavi Hernández in a match against Real Madrid for LaLiga

Furthermore, Xavi did not avoid the inevitable comparison of Yamal with other 'cracks' in Barça's history. For the man from Terrassa, the 18-year-old winger has everything in his hands to become the best in the world and one of the best in history.

"Lamine Yamal is one of the chosen ones, he could be one of the geniuses in the history of football and it depends on him, on his ambition, on his passion," stated the Catalan coach, without a team since his departure from Barça in June 2024.

Likewise, he recalled that, since his time in the Juvenil A team, "he did things that you would only see Neymar, Messi, players of that caliber do. I saw him ready and I wasn't afraid. He wasn't afraid either, he had no hang-ups, he can make a difference; what he does at his age is wonderful," Xavi pointed out.

Previously, the Terrassa native had also commented to 'MARCA' that the Rocafonda native "deserved the Ballon d'Or" this year, although he is clear that titles weigh heavily in the voting. "Lamine will win it, but when his team wins the Champions League or a World Cup."

Óscar Hernández, the Architect of Lamine Yamal's Debut in the First Team

In a conversation with journalist José Ramón de la Morena, Lamine recalled his rise to the first team. While Xavi already had him on his radar, it was his brother and assistant on the Barça bench, Óscar, who convinced him to bring the youngster up to the first team.

"In training with the youth team, the coach told me that I had to go up to train with the first team. We played a practice match with them and I scored two goals. Óscar, Xavi's brother, asked me how it was possible that I wasn't playing, but told me to stay calm. And shortly after, they called me. First, I was called up for a match and didn't play; the next one, I made my debut against Betis," recalled the '10'.

The rest is history. Lamine completed the 2023 preseason with Barça and earned the number '27' jersey. After the first half of the season alternating between starting and substitute appearances, he secured the left-wing position in the second half of the season. With the arrival of Hansi Flick, the then-youth player never left the starting XI for the 'Culé' side again.

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