Marcus Rashford used a meeting with Manchester United supporters at Old Trafford to make a striking claim about Lamine Yamal. He said the Barcelona teenager is the closest player he has seen to Lionel Messi, and added that seven Ballon d'Ors would not surprise him.
Rashford's comments on Yamal
Rashford said he had told Yamal before leaving Barcelona that he was above the other players he had shared a dressing room with. Speaking to supporters at Old Trafford, he backed that up with an even bigger comparison.
"For me, he's the closest somebody can get to the level of Messi over the years," Rashford said. "If he goes on to win seven Ballons d'Or, I wouldn't be surprised."
That is a heavy endorsement, especially from a player who said he has shared a dressing room with Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Kane. Rashford is not talking about one hot spell either. He is talking about a teenager who already has 11 La Liga appearances in 2026, 10 league goals and 7 assists, with Barcelona getting end product and creation at the same time.
Why the praise carries weight
Rashford's view lands differently because it comes from someone still operating at top level himself. He has 5 Premier League appearances in 2026, so this is not nostalgia talking from the sidelines.
He also framed Messi as the standard rather than someone Yamal has already caught. That is the right way to read the quote. Rashford is praising ceiling, talent and trajectory, not claiming the teenager has completed a Messi career already.
Yamal's place in the conversation has already moved fast. He finished eighth in 2024, was runner-up in 2025 and took third place in the 2026 ceremony, and Rashford's comments add another high-profile voice to that rise.
Barcelona will keep feeding that debate on the pitch, with Yamal already central to their league and European push. He has the numbers and the praise, and the only real question now is how far he can keep taking both.
Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →
