Thierry Henry is so awed by Lamine Yamal’s Champions League performance that he asks for his Barcelona shirt

There were many striking moments of it Barcelona’s 3-3 draw with Inter in the first stage of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals on WednesdayNot in the least among them the latest statement performance of Lamine Yamal who showed that he is not only a star of the future, but also one of the current talents of the game.

Yamal was central to the strong attacking performance of Barcelona, ​​took four shots and created two opportunities because the hosts three past inter. The 17-year-old had a big moment of his own moment and scored in the 24th minute in a showcase of individual sparkle that started the Barcelona comeback from 2-0. It was only the newest game in which Yamal left a lot speechless, including Thierry Henry.

“What I saw tonight from Lamine Yamal … It’s not normal to be like that at the age of 17,” said Henry during the UEFA Champions League today after the game. “I am not talking about what he does when he is on the ball, his consciousness, how calm he is, how he sees the game, the way he will defend, is busy. It is simply not normal. We have spoken about the 100 games he already has at that age, it is simply not normal.

The statistics make a backup of Henry’s claim that Yamal is at a different level compared to other players of his age. He has 50 goals and assists (22 goals, 28 assists) in his first 100 games at club level, not far from Lionel Messi’s count of 56 (41 goals, 15 assists) and well ahead of Cristiano Ronaldos count of 27 (13 goals, 14 assists). Both Ronaldo and Messi were much older than Yamal when they reached the 100 game mark, and Messi only had seven games under his belt in Barcelona by the time he was Yamal’s age.

His record -breaking form is matched by his entertaining skills, something that he likes to call a trademark of his playing style.

“I like to play in a way that other people like,” said Yamal in an interview at the UEFA Champions League today after the game.

Yamal’s Trophy Hul is equally impressive at his young age – he played a crucial role in the victory of Spain in last year’s euros and did this again when Barcelona won the Copa del Rey on Saturday. Should Barcelona run away with the Treble – still a very real opportunity with their lead in La Liga and the fact that they are still in the Champions League – he will be a worthy winner of the prizes. He already argues for himself as one of the best players in the game and fills a hole that is left behind by Messi and Ronaldo while entering the last years of their legendary career.

“One thing that always surprises me in football is that you always think there is no way to get better [than Messi or Ronaldo]”Henry said.” And then Yamal arrives, and then you have a new man in Argentina, [Franco] Mastantuono who plays for River Plate, who wins all that derby match on the free kick against Boca Juniors. That’s why football is great. There is a man who will soon, perhaps in two to three years, talk that we are not yet about it, but it is strange to think that a man – he is 17 years old. [At] 17 years old, I made my debut, I think. It’s just crazy what he does. It’s just not normal, but look, it’s great to see that a new man is coming, a new man in the block that looks like he might be dominated, and I wish that for him. Let’s not put him under pressure and say that he must be on the throne or whatever. “

Jersey Swap?

At the end of the interview, Henry said he would be in Barcelona in May for El Clasico and hoped Yamal’s sweater for his son. Yamal was down, but he asked Henry brought him one of his, and that it didn’t matter if it was a Barcelona sweater or Arsenal sweater.