Lamine Yamal is ready to play for Spain —not against his childhood hero, Lionel Messi

Spain’s Lamine Yamal is one win from placing himself in soccer immortality. But with immortality comes the cost of dethroning his childhood hero, Argentina’s Lionel Messi.

Yamal spoke about facing his childhood hero in the World Cup final Sunday and said, “It’s difficult to put into words.”

“For me, he’s the greatest player of all time. What he’s doing at 39 years old in this World Cup is simply insane. He’s still deciding matches, still leading Argentina, still showing the world why he’s the GOAT,” Yamal said, according to the X account tomisinfcb, “As a football fan, it’s impossible not to admire him.”

Yamal’s love for Messi dates back to when he was a baby, as a photo recently surfaced on social media channels of Messi taking a photo with Yamal as an infant.

At 39 years old, Sunday could potentially be Messi’s final World Cup match.

During this year’s World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo, who has been Messi’s longtime rival, made a shocking announcement that this year was his final tournament at 41 years old.

The tide in soccer is shifting after Ronaldo’s departure from the World Cup and with an unclear future for Messi.

Yamal is one of the many bright young stars in soccer. He has often been compared to Messi since he started playing for Barcelona in 2014.

While Yamal grew up idolizing Messi, he said he understands his fandom will be an afterthought as he won’t play against his idol but for his country.

“We respect Messi and Argentina, but our dream is to bring the World Cup home,” Yamal said, according to the X account tomisinfcb. “Sometimes football asks you to put your feelings aside, and that’s exactly what I’ll do.”

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