The on-loan Manchester United forward paid his Barcelona teammate the ultimate compliment.
Marcus Rashford has named a previous La Liga icon whose impact is comparable to Lamine Yamal’s.
Rashford, 27, joined Barcelona on a season-long loan from Manchester United earlier this summer and made his La Liga debut on Saturday in a 3-0 win over Mallorca.
The 27-year-old played 21 minutes after replacing Ferran Torres last weekend and will look to make an impact in Barcelona’s next game against Levante on August 23.
Of course, the Englishman competes for a starting spot in Hansi Flick’s side against forwards Raphinha, Dani Olmo, and Yamal.
Rashford, on the other hand, has previously praised Yamal and even publicly declared his wish to play alongside the Spain international before joining Barcelona earlier this summer.
“It’s difficult to put into words what he’s doing because it’s not appropriate for a 16/17-year-old. “I don’t think we’ve ever seen anything like it,” Rashford said of Yamal in an interview with xBuyer.
The 27-year-old has subsequently joined in on the Ballon d’Or controversy and, as expected, supported Yamal to win the award.
When asked if Yamal deserved to win the award during an interview with SPORT, Rashford answered, “Yes, definitely. If he doesn’t win it this year, he’ll win it later. Dembélé, Raphinha, they all deserve it. It’s difficult to choose one, yet they’re all mature and had an excellent season. Lamine is so young that he’s certain to win.”
Later in the interview, Rashford compared the teenager to “one of my favourite players to watch” as he grew up.
When asked if Yamal is the most gifted player he’s seen at his age, the Englishman replied, “Yes, he is the most skilled player I’ve played with at his age. I’ve never seen or played with anyone who has had such an impact on the game. Perhaps Ronaldo Nazario, aka ‘The Phenomenon’. It’s fantastic to have such a strong influence on the pitch at such a young age and on a consistent basis. He has a long career ahead of him, and I hope he maintains or improves his performance.”
Yamal turned 18 on July 13, after making his Barcelona debut at the age of 15.
At 18, Ronaldo Nazario was playing for PSV, where he scored 52 goals in 57 appearances before joining Barcelona at the age of 19.
If Barcelona wins the La Liga this season, Yamal might have three titles under his belt by the age of 19.
R9 had yet to win a European league title at this point in his career.
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