Spain icon Fernando Torres amazed by Lamine Yamal: ‘Don’t remember seeing potential like this’

Spain icon Fernando Torres amazed by Lamine Yamal: ‘Don’t remember seeing potential like this’ Barcelona spent close to a decade and a half celebrating the greatest ever footballer to have played the game, Lionel Messi. When the Argentine legend left in 2021, the club spent a couple of seasons desperately looking for someone to put their hand up and become the face of the club. That call was answered by Lamine Yamal, a La Masia graduate who made his debut at 15 and became a mainstay in the first team by 16. His extraordinary rise has understandably brought enormous expectations. The Barcelona youngster is already carrying responsibility beyond his years. Former Spain striker Fernando Torres addressed this during an interview with Onda Cero’s Radioestadio Noche . Fernando Torres urges Lamine Yamal to enjoy football The Atletico Madrid legend praised Yamal’s remarkable potential and offered him some much-needed advice. “The impact Lamine has had on world football is very different from what I experienced,” Torres admitted (h/t SPORT ). Lamine Yamal is already among the very best in the world. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images) “I would tell him to enjoy what he does best, which is playing football. I don’t remember seeing potential like this in a long time.” Torres knows how it feels to become a star at a very young age, having broken into Atletico’s first team as a teenager. He went on to become one of Spain’s best strikers, leaving his mark in the Premier League with both Liverpool and Chelsea. Torres was then asked to compare Yamal with Lionel Messi. However, the Spaniard decided not to get drawn into it. “I don’t remember Messi at his age. For me, he is the greatest of all time. I don’t think we will see anything even remotely similar,” he explained. Barcelona must protect Yamal from excessive expectations Torres insisted that Yamal needs to be celebrated for the player he is and not constantly compared to another player. Lamine Yamal still has room for improvement. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images) “We have to enjoy the impact Lamine has made and what he is today, and we have to help him,” he added. Yamal, at 19, is already one of the first names on the team sheet for both club and country. He has emerged as the flag-bearer of the next generation. While he has already proven himself as a decisive player, there is still room for improvement in his game, especially in terms of goalscoring. The best part for Yamal is that he has managers like Hansi Flick and Luis de la Fuente at this stage of his career. Both managers are giving the teenager a lot of freedom, and with great freedom comes great responsibility. Torres’ advice to Yamal to keep enjoying his football will be particularly important in the coming years as he seeks to reach greater heights with Barcelona and Spain.