After 150 matches... who is superior: Yamal or Messi?

Young Spanish star Lamine Yamal has reached 150 official appearances for Barcelona and the Spanish national team, achieving impressive statistics that naturally draw comparisons to Barcelona legend Lionel Messi, despite the player's determination to forge his own path away from the shadows . The 18-year-old Yamal is considered one of the most promising young talents in the world today, having risen to prominence in the football world at an astonishing pace, making his achievement of 150 appearances at this age almost unprecedented. For comparison, Messi was only 21 when he reached 150 matches, while at 18, Yamal was still on the fringes of Barcelona's starting lineup and had yet to establish himself . Comparing the statistics reveals that the difference between the two players is not significant. Messi surpasses Yamal in terms of goals scored, with 58 compared to Yamal's 40. However, in terms of assists, Yamal clearly outperforms Messi, providing 57 assists compared to Messi's 31 after the same number of matches . When goals and assists are combined, Yamal's total goal contributions reached 97, while Messi had 89 at this stage, with Yamal averaging a goal or assist every 113 minutes, compared to Messi's every 115 minutes . Despite the similarity in his statistics to Messi's at this stage, Yamal refuses to be compared to the Argentine legend, telling reporters last year: "I don't want to compare myself to anyone. I admire Messi a lot, so I don't want to compare myself to the best player in the history of football. And I haven't even spoken to him personally yet ." For his part, Messi has followed Yamal's career from afar, describing him as "one of the best players in the world," adding: "He has already become a European champion with Spain. He is only 17 years old, he is still developing, and he will continue to develop and contribute, just as I have ."