I admire Messi a lot, so I don’t want to compare myself with the best player in football's history,” Yamal added on Tuesday.

Barcelona’s teenage sensation Lamine Yamal continued his extraordinary rise on Wednesday night as he produced a phenomenal individual performance in his team’s Champions League semi-final draw with Inter Milan.

Not since Messi have Barca fans been able to enjoy watching such a mercurial yet effective player as Yamal represent their beloved club. And the teen’s statistics at this tender age already project a greater career even than that of Messi - for many, the greatest player in the history of the sport.