Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal has declared that no player performed better than Lionel Messi at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, praising the Argentine legend for his outstanding tournament.
Yamal also thanked Messi for calling him and offering words of support following what he described as a “difficult night” after Monday’s Ballon d’Or ceremony in London.
The 19-year-old made the comments in separate posts on Tuesday, expressing his admiration for Messi despite Argentina finishing runners-up to Spain at the World Cup.
Yamal hails Messi
“No player was better than Messi in the 2026 FIFA World Cup!” Yamal wrote.
In another post, the Barcelona forward thanked the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner for checking on him and offering encouragement.
He wrote that Messi’s call and words of support meant a lot to him, particularly after a difficult night.
Yamal did not explicitly say that Messi’s call was directly related to the Ballon d’Or result.
Yamal finishes third in Ballon d’Or
The comments came a day after Yamal finished third in the 2026 Ballon d’Or rankings, behind winner Harry Kane and runner-up Kylian Mbappé.
Kane was crowned the winner at the ceremony at the London Palladium, with the England and Bayern Munich striker beating Mbappé and Yamal to the prestigious individual award.
Yamal had been among the leading contenders after a strong campaign for Barcelona and Spain, including their World Cup triumph.
Messi’s World Cup praised
Yamal has repeatedly expressed his admiration for Messi, who recently retired from international football after Argentina finished second at the 2026 World Cup.
Messi enjoyed an impressive tournament, scoring eight goals as Argentina reached the final.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta also praised Messi during the competition, describing his World Cup performance as “extraordinary” and highlighting his continued influence despite his age.
Yamal’s latest tribute adds to the long-standing admiration between the two Barcelona stars, with the young forward frequently being compared with Messi because of his playing style and rapid rise to prominence.
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