Yamal hails Messi as the best player in history
Lamine Yamal insisted that there is no better player in the world than Lionel Messi after his hat-trick heroics in Argentina's 2026 FIFA World Cup opener against Algeria.
Messi helped Argentina start its FIFA World Cup title defence with a bang after he stole the show in a 3-0 victory at Kansas City Stadium last week.
The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner's first treble at the tourament took him to 16 career goals in the FIFA World Cup, equalling Miroslav Klose as the all-time leading scorer in competition history.
He is also the oldest player to score more than once in a FIFA World Cup match, aged 38 years and 357 days, surpassing Roger Milla's previous record of 38 years and 34 days.
Messi is only the second player to score in five different FIFA World Cups, after Cristiano Ronaldo, but Yamal said there was no debate about who is the greatest player of all time.
"Every match proves he's the best in history. If anyone has doubts, it's because they're looking for them," Yamal said.
"There's nothing more to say. My idol is Neymar, but Messi is the best."
Yamal was only fit enough to play 19 minutes of Spain's shock 0-0 draw with FIFA World Cup debutant Cape Verde in their opening Group H clash last Tuesday (AEST).
The 19-year-old watched on as his team struggled in the final third, while also watching some of the world's best players get their campaigns up and running.
Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane and Erling Haaland all scored twice for their respective nations, but Yamal was not feeling the pressure to match those around him.
"My style of play is different. I want to enjoy myself, to win, I don't want to score 16 goals and get eliminated in the semi-finals. That's not what I'm looking for," Yamal added.
Spain has failed to win any of its past four FIFA World Cup games, losing once and drawing the other three, its joint-worst winless streak in the competition, and faces Saudi Arabia at Atlanta Stadium next up.
Luis de la Fuente did not reveal whether Yamal would start against Saudi Arabia, with the Barcelona attacker adding that while he's fit and ready to go, he is not ready to complete a full 90 minutes.
"I'm fine, I'm feeling good, but it's too soon, it's unnecessary; I'm still settling in," Yamal said.
"It's not the right time to play a full match yet – but I can play for as many minutes as the manager wants.
"I want to be on the pitch; at the end of the day, even if you know you can't play for 90 minutes, you always want to get out there and help the team."
