Lamine Yamal and Lautaro Martinez - two players, two paths, one goal: the Champions League final. Ahead of the semi-final, they talk about expectations, respect and motivation.
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- Lamine Yamal is often compared to Lionel Messi, but rejects the comparison himself: "I'm going my own way."
- The Barça talent is focused on the first Champions League semi-final of his career and emphasizes team spirit.
- Lautaro Martínez praises Yamal as a "great player with a great future". Inter want to reach the Champions League final again after 2023 - Lautaro: "We're focused and ready for the big game."
It's impressive what 17-year-old Lamine Yamal has already achieved. At his young age, he has already won a European title, the Spanish championship, the cup and the Super Cup. And now he even has the chance to win the treble in the Champions League. Wherever Yamal appears, success doesn't seem to be far away.
So it's no wonder that he is repeatedly compared to a Barcelona legend: Lionel Messi. The Argentinian was also one of the most influential figures in the Catalan jersey at a young age. The young Spaniard commented on this comparison himself ahead of the game against Inter(9pm live on blue Sport) - and remains modest:
"I'm not comparing myself to anyone and certainly not to Messi. So I'll leave that to you, because we only think about improving ourselves every day, to be better than myself the next day. So I don't think that comparison makes sense, and even less with Messi. I try to enjoy being myself and going my own way. Of course I admire him as the best player in history, but I don't compare myself to him."
One thing is clear: Yamal is ambitious and focused. The most important thing for him is to progress with the team: "Well, I'm really looking forward to it. It's my first semi-final, and for many of my teammates too. That's why we're looking forward to making it to the final. Well, as long as I win, they can't say anything. If they beat me, then they can."
The Milan leader - Lautaro's view on the Messi debacle
Inter striker Lautaro Martínez is also asked about the super talent - and also finds clear words: "Well, first of all: there is no comparison to Leo (Messi) for me, because Leo is and will be the best player of all time. So I'm not going to make that comparison."
"All I can say is that Lamine is an important player. We've all seen it, we all know it. At his young age, he's doing a great job, he's won important titles with his national team, so we have to respect him. But yes, he has a great future and he's a great player," emphasized the 27-year-old.
Martínez, who recently broke a club record at Inter, is looking forward to the semi-final against Barcelona with anticipation - and emphasizes how important this moment is for the club: "The truth is that we are very excited because we have reached the semi-finals of the Champions League twice in three years. Inter haven't done that for many years and we're doing a great job in this prestigious and important competition."
The Argentine continued: "So we are focused on delivering another great performance and also fulfilling the dream of our fans, which is to reach another Champions League final. We're focused, excited and really looking forward to tomorrow, to this great opponent and to this incredible game in another semi-final, which is very important for us."
Two voices ahead of today's thriller - two players with a clear vision: they want to win. For themselves, for their team and not least for their fans.
