No comparison with Messi, Yamal has to create his own path: Rakitic

Panaji: Kobe Bryant once told a story about Ronaldinho introducing him to Lionel Messi, a player he said would emerge as the greatest of all time. Messi was just 17 at the time and more than lived up to the expectation in a career that threw up countless moments of magic.
Another 17-year-old, Lamine Yamal, is now grabbing headlines. He dons the Barcelona jersey too, has set records, and earned rich praise. His coach Hansi Flick believes “he’s special, a genius.” Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi called him a ‘phenomenon’ that only comes along every 50 years.
Lamine has more than proved he’s a star with some scintillating performances. But is he as good as Messi?
“There’s no need to compare him with anybody, especially because there is no comparison with Leo (Messi),” former Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic told a select group of reporters during a global media call arranged by La Liga. “We all know, at least 99% of us agree that he’s been the best player of all times. I feel proud to have shared so many years with Leo (at Barcelona). Lamine must carry on. He must create his own path, his own story, and he will. Let him enjoy himself and dance on the pitch the way he does. Lamine will continue to grow, he’s eager to learn. It’s important for him to be happy.”
Rakitic, currently with Hajduk Split in Croatia, arrived at Barcelona in the summer of 2014. By the time he was out, after six years, he had emerged as the top five foreign players with most appearances in La Liga history. He won the treble, four leagues and three doubles. The Croatian may not have been admired as much as his famous teammates, but everyone surely appreciated his work in the middle. There were goals too, most famously the opener inside five minutes against Juventus in the 2015 Champions League final.
The Barcelona squad that he was part of was among the more dominant sides. With teammates like Messi, Neymar, Suarez, Pique, Busquets, Iniesta, Mascherano and Alves, it was star-studded. Could anyone from the current team, particularly Lamine, given what he’s doing at his age, break into that champion squad?
“About Lamine, well, if you play with Leo, there’s no room for anybody, though we would have found a way to fit Lamine, or Pedri, or Inigo Martinez,” Rakitic told TOI. “They are all incredible players. We had an incredible group, particularly the first few years in 2014-16, our best years. The fact remains that it’s very difficult to include somebody into that team, not just from Barcelona, but from anywhere. Good players though are always welcome.
“I want this Barcelona team to write its own history. I hope they win more titles than we did. For the happiness of all the supporters, this is what we want. For us, it wasn’t easy, although we had some incredible years. Once this team starts winning trophies (consistently), in 10 or 15 years, we will be able to talk about an incredible Barca again.”
For the record, Rakitic won 13 titles at the club during his six years.
This current Barcelona team with generational talents has won two trophies this season and plenty of admirers. Had it not been for the agonising loss against Inter Milan in the Champions League semifinal, conceding seven goals across two thrilling matches, they would have been chasing a worthy treble.
“It’s obvious that Flick evolution clearly started with (previous coach) Xavi who brought in all those young players that are taking Barca forward. I think these young players have been very important. And Xavi was a coach that gave them the opportunity and taught them what it really means to be a top-level Barca player, or what the requirements are. It’s fascinating to see the togetherness of this team. There are no egos, and their strength is being united.
“This is going to be the key for next season too. When you are winning, when you are up there, it’s much more difficult to stay up. This is going to be the key for next season. They need to continue to be together and adjust a few details, like what happened against Inter, for example. You cannot allow a team to score seven goals in the semi-final. It’s a young team that will grow. If they stick together, they’ll have a great team for many years,” said Rakitic.