Lamine Yamal plays down injury reports and Lionel Messi comparisons after sublime UCL goal

Lamine Yamal in action (Reuters Photo)

Since Barcelona’s loss to Real Madrid on October 26, Lamine Yamal has been subjected to an avalanche of criticism. His pre-match comments about Real – put a microphone in front of a teenager and you expect Socrates-like wisdom? – had been blown out of all proportion and the fact that he then had a poor game became another stick to beat him with.

Like his club, Yamal hasn’t had the easiest start to the season, with injury also preventing him from building up a full head of steam. But on Wednesday night, in a tricky UEFA Champions League (UCL) tie away to Club Brugge, he once again reminded the world why he’s the game’s most exciting teenage talent with a quite stunning goal.

A masterpiece from Lamine Yamal pic.twitter.com/wpJcVlOwQC

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It came when Barcelona really needed it too. They trailed 2-1 at the half and more than 60 minutes had elapsed when he picked up the ball outside the box, beat one opponent and then exchanged passes with Fermin Lopez. The finish into the far corner was perfection itself, and though Brugge would score again, it was Yamal’s cross that Christos Tzolis would head into his own net to give Barcelona parity on the night.

Brugge finished 24th in last season’s UCL table, and then shocked Atalanta in the play-off round before losing to Aston Villa in the last 16. They started this campaign with a 4-1 thrashing of AS Monaco before losses to Atalanta and Bayern Munich. For Barcelona, the point in Belgium took them to seven points from four matches, two short of the top eight places that would guarantee a place in the last 16.

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As for Yamal, whose effervescent display followed a fine goal against Elche at the weekend, he insisted that reports about his injury had been way off the mark. “A lot has been said about my injury and that I was sad,” he said after the game. “It was all lies. I wanted to work hard to get back to this level, which is when I feel the best and have the most fun.”

The sublime goal, almost predictably, brought the inevitable comparison with a former Barcelona player who used to glide past defences with similar ease. “I can't compare myself with Messi,” said Yamal. “He's scored thousands of goals like that. I have to make my own way and hope to score many more goals like that.”