Spain and Barcelona star Lamine Yamal stated that he has blended some parts of his game by emulating the likes of Lionel Messi and Luka Modric. He highlighted their “clever” passing skills as one of his key inspirations.

The 18-year-old has developed a reputation for his impressive passing, attributing this to his strong vision on the pitch—something that developed due to his earlier focus on running and scoring rather than dribbling.

In a recent chat with CBS’ “60 Minutes,” Yamal shared:

“The funny thing about all this is that as a little kid, I wasn’t much of a dribbler. I mean, I’ve never been the kind of kid you’d see dribbling a lot or getting past my opponents. I ran a lot, I scored a lot of goals but above all, I’ve always had pretty good vision of the game and since I was a little kid.”
“As a young player, I noticed how Messi made passes that were almost a goal and how Modric utilized the outside of his foot. These are intriguing techniques I’ve chosen to emulate instead of focusing solely on dribbling.”

Yamal, a rising talent, has netted 37 goals in 144 matches for club and country so far. He noted that the highlights of his career so far include his crucial goal during Spain’s 2-1 victory over France in the Euro 2024 semifinals, as well as a stunning strike in Barcelona’s recent 3-3 draw against Club Brugge in the UEFA Champions League.

“In terms of beauty and importance, I would say my goal against France grabs the top spot, closely followed by the one against Brugge.”

Image of Lamine Yamal
Spanish football star Lamine Yamal, known for his exceptional vision and passing skills, cites Messi and Modric as major influences.