Arsenal star Bukayo Saka has given his verdict on Lamine Yamal and the impact the 17-year-old is having at Barcelona.
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Saka reacts to Yamal impactBarcelona winger a superstar at 17Even Messi & Ronaldo lag behindFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Saka has been blown away by what Yamal has done in professional football before even becoming a legal adult. The Barcelona winger won't turn 18 until the summer and has already played a defining role in a triumphant European Championship, and has now reached 100 games for his club.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportWHAT BUKAYO SAKA SAID
Saka told said: "He's top. Honestly, doing what he is doing at his age, what can you say, he's unreal. It's not normal. No one does it. I don't think I've seen that level for a 17-year-old, so credit to him."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Yamal was unbelievably good as Barcelona met fire with fire in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Inter on Wednesday night. At his age, he has far surpassed what Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo had done at the same stage of their respective careers. Through 100 games, Yamal has 49 goals and assists. Messi had 55 after 100 games, but was almost 21 by the time he reached that appearance milestone. A 19-year-old Ronaldo had managed only 26 goals and assists in his first century of professional outings.
Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?
Arsenal and Barcelona could yet wind up meeting each other in this season's Champions League final, which would be a repeat of the 2006 showdown in Paris. The Gunners must overturn a 1-0 aggregate deficit against PSG in the French capital on Wednesday night, while Barca are targeting a first European in a decade when they host Inter 24 hours earlier.
