Xavi refused to compare Lamine Yamal to Lionel Messi after the teenager scored a wonder goal against Mallorca.

Yamal compared to Messi after wonder goal
Xavi refused to compare the youngster to the Argentine
Barcelona beat Mallorca 1-0

WHAT HAPPENED?

The youngster scored a brilliant goal in the 73rd minute to help Barcelona secure a narrow 1-0 win over Mallorca in La Liga on Friday. Yamal produced a moment of magic inside the Mallorca penalty box by cutting onto his left foot and then unleashing a Lionel Messi-esque shot which landed in the far corner.

After the goal, the youngster was compared to the Argentine superstar by many including Mallorca boss Javier Aguirre but Xavi refuted those claims.

WHAT XAVI SAID

At the post-match press conference, the Barcelona manager said, “Anyone will lose when compared to Messi. We’re talking about the best player in the history of this sport, he should not be compared to others.”

He added, “Today he wasn’t so good in the one-on-ones and he wasn’t having his best day, but he cut the ball back and scored a great goal. Therefore he made the difference again with a goal that he invented.”

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THE BIGGER PICTURE

The 16-year-old winger has been a revelation for the Catalan giants this season having appeared in 37 matches across all competitions where he has scored six goals and provided seven assists.

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WHAT NEXT FOR BARCELONA?

The Catalan club have moved up to second position in the league table after Friday’s result as they now have 61 points from 28 matches. They will now shift focus to European football as they are all set to face Napoli in the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 fixture on Tuesday.