He’s done it once more! Just a year after becoming the first footballer ever to claim the NXGN title twice, Lamine Yamal has now topped GOAL’s prestigious list of the best teenage players in world football for a record third consecutive year. And truth be told, few doubted the outcome of the 2026 vote. Yamal isn’t merely the most gifted young player on the planet anymore — he’s arguably the most talented, period.

While Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe are currently leading the chase for this year’s Ballon d’Or, the 18-year-old Yamal is right on their heels, defying belief week after week. As Bukayo Saka once remarked, “Honestly, doing what he’s doing at his age, what can you say?... He’s unreal. It’s not normal. No one does that.” Not even Lionel Messi, in fact.

Comparing a rising star to the greatest of all time usually feels premature, even unfair. Many young prospects have crumbled under the weight of being dubbed ‘the next Messi’. Yet, in Yamal’s case, the parallels are so striking that avoiding the comparison is no longer possible.

We’re talking about two small, left-footed right wingers who can bewilder defenders from a standing start — either with a subtle body feint or an explosive sprint. Just like Messi before him, Yamal has become a global icon for Barcelona before even turning 20. What’s extraordinary, though, is that the Spaniard seems to be further along in his development than Messi was at the same age. That leads to a once unthinkable question: could Yamal one day rival his idol for the title of football’s GOAT?

The chosen one

Messi’s brilliance was evident early on. Barcelona’s then sporting director, Carles Rexach, was so determined to sign the young Argentine that he famously got a 13-year-old Messi to sign a makeshift contract on a napkin at a Catalan tennis club on December 14, 2000.

By 18, Messi had already won his first Champions League medal. Though he missed the final against Arsenal due to a hamstring injury sustained against Chelsea in the Round of 16, he had impressed enough to earn a nomination for the 2006 Ballon d’Or.

Fast forward to 2024, and a 17-year-old Yamal became the youngest player ever shortlisted for football’s most prestigious individual honour, eventually finishing eighth. The following September, he narrowly missed out on top spot to Ousmane Dembele, who had been instrumental in Paris Saint-Germain’s historic treble-winning campaign.

By then, Yamal had inherited the iconic No.10 shirt that Messi wore with distinction for 13 of his 17 trophy-laden seasons at Barcelona — and it felt as though destiny had chosen him.

‘Messi is Maradona every day’

While Ansu Fati’s journey with the No.10 shirt was derailed by recurring injuries, Yamal’s rise has seemed almost written in the stars. Remarkably, Messi had already crossed paths with him — cradling a four-month-old Yamal in a now-iconic 2007 photoshoot, unknowingly anointing his eventual successor.

Now widely seen as the rightful heir to the Camp Nou throne, the question remains: can Yamal ever emulate Messi’s unmatched consistency? Because that, above all else, is what distinguishes Messi from every other player in history. Nobody has maintained such elite standards for so long. As 1986 World Cup winner Jorge Valdano once said, “Maradona was Maradona sometimes. Messi is Maradona every day.”

And the incredible part? Messi’s story isn’t over. Having surpassed 900 career goals just last week, the Inter Miami superstar, who turns 39 in June, is expected to lead Argentina at this summer’s World Cup in North America — four years after completing his footballing fairytale in Qatar with a series of breathtaking performances at an age when most have hung up their boots.

Unmatched footballing intelligence

Messi’s genius lies not just in skill or flair but in his extraordinary football intelligence — the key to his longevity. After early career injuries, he learned how to manage his body meticulously. One could argue that Ronaldinho or Neymar had greater natural talent, but neither matched Messi’s discipline or devotion.

As age robbed him of his youthful pace, Messi reinvented himself, using his sense of positioning and awareness to create space and opportunities. While modern footballers sprint relentlessly across the pitch, Messi often strolls — analysing, anticipating, and bending the game to his will. Javier Mascherano once summed it up perfectly: “The rest of us play football. But Messi controls it.”

Rising to big occasions

Some, like Fabio Capello, have suggested Yamal hasn’t yet displayed Messi’s level of “genius” — an understandable view for someone still in his teens. Even Messi himself has said Yamal is “in a growth process, and he’ll keep improving, adding new things to his game, just like I did.”

Yet Yamal has already shown remarkable composure under pressure. Former Barcelona coach Xavi often praised his decision-making, calling it “astonishing for his age”, while current manager Hansi Flick now expects him to shine brightest in the biggest matches.

Take last season’s Champions League semi-final against Inter Milan. Despite Simone Inzaghi deploying triple coverage on him, the teenager dazzled in both legs. His stunning solo goal at Montjuic made him the youngest scorer in the competition’s semi-final history — at just 17 years and 291 days. For context, Messi had made only one Champions League appearance at that age.

More recently, Yamal’s calm penalty in the Round of 16 victory over Newcastle made him the youngest player to reach 10 Champions League goals, surpassing Mbappe. Messi, by comparison, was already 21 when he hit that milestone.

Golden Ball favourite

Yamal’s international career has also started better than Messi’s. The teenager wasn’t merely part of Spain’s Euro 2024-winning side — he was their standout performer. Between school assignments, the 16-year-old humbled players like Adrien Rabiot, leaving an indelible mark on the tournament.

This summer, he’s expected to be one of the stars at the World Cup. By contrast, Messi’s 2006 debut campaign with Argentina saw him score against Serbia-Montenegro but start only once, spending the quarter-final defeat to Germany on the bench.

Yamal, meanwhile, is now the focal point of the world’s top-ranked team — the creative spark in Luis de la Fuente’s dynamic setup and the early favourite to win the Golden Ball. Still, Messi could have a say in that, especially if Argentina meet Spain in the final. Should Messi lead his nation to back-to-back World Cups, his legacy would be untouchable. Yet, based on Yamal’s trajectory, he at least has the potential to join the GOAT conversation.

The road ahead

Of course, greatness won’t be decided this summer. It will depend on what happens over the next decade — and likely beyond — because Messi has been breaking records for as long as Yamal has been alive. Sustaining excellence in professional football for such an extended period requires rare mental strength, especially when every opponent targets you.

The challenges will only intensify, with increasing media scrutiny and the relentless pace of the modern game. Already, Yamal faces growing criticism over his on- and off-field behaviour, and fame itself could become his biggest obstacle. As Messi wisely said, “It depends on Yamal now and many external factors, because that’s how football is these days.”

The raw ability is unquestionably there. And while Yamal insists that catching Messi is “impossible”, the fact remains that the three-time NXGN winner has achieved more at 18 than even his idol had at that age — and that alone is worth celebrating.