FC Barcelona Sporting Director Deco said that comparisons between La Masia pearls Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi are “nice”.
Furthermore, the club legend also discussed the pending contract renewals of first team stars including Pedri, Ronald Araujo and Frenkie de Jong during an interview with Mundo Deportivo.
Because of them both being left-footed academy prodigies among other things, Lamine and Messi are often compared.
There’s even a now famous photo, which re-emerged over the summer as Lamine led Spain to a record fourth Euros win in Germany, of Messi appearing to “bless” a six-month old baby Lamine in the late 2000s, which came as part of a collaboration between Unicef and Catalan newspaper SPORT at the time.
Speaking to rival publication MD, Deco voiced his belief that comparing Lamine to Messi isn’t a negative thing as some have tried to suggest.
“I don’t think comparing him to Leo is a problem for him but a source of pride for [Lamine]. I don’t know if it’s good or bad, it’s up to him. He’s growing and I don’t see it being a problem,” said the Brazil-born former midfielder.
With President Joan Laporta already confirming that Barca has knocked back bids exceeding $200 million for Lamine, Deco tried to put the minds of Culers worried about potentially losing him at rest.
“It’s normal for a player like Lamine or others we have to arouse the interest of clubs, it’s normal. We know what the market is like and what the clubs are like,” Deco began on this point.
“Lamine is very young but very mature for his age. I imagine and see that he is happy to be here. Having everything he has at Barca ahead of him, I would dare to say that it is very difficult [for him] to change to another club. And it’s not because I’m a Barca fan or because I’m the club’s sporting director.
“A player that Barca has and who can have a spectacular history at the club … I don’t think he would change it for another. We are very happy with Lamine, he has to be valued like the others and he must build his story.
“We are calm, there is no concern in this sense but the club has to do what it has to do. There is nothing else. Even if you have contracts and clauses, the most important thing is that the players feel happy and comfortable and are eager to make history at the club, it is the most important thing.”
Contracts are also a major talking point when it comes to stars like Frenkie de Jong, Ronald Araujo and Pedri, who technically speaking could all walk for free in mid-2026 as things stand.
“I don’t want to individualise the renewals because there are more players, it’s a job that we’re going to do day-by-day,” Deco stressed.
“We are working, but for me the most important thing is that the ideas of the players [line up] with ours. We know what we want but it always depends on the players. If the players want to [renew], things will work out.
“In the case of Frenkie it is a normal procedure. We have a player who has quality, who is of an important age, who can contribute a lot of things and within what can be done we are working on renewals,” he added.
As for Pedri, Deco revealed that he believes his renewal “will be done because I think Pedri wants to make history at the club”.
“He feels comfortable here, he is happy, he wants to win titles and he is back at his best level after working hard,” Deco further stated.
