Marcus Rashford, the former Barcelona and current Manchester United player, has revealed his great admiration for Lamine Yamal, confirming that he told the Spanish star he is better than all the talented players he has ever played alongside.
According to the Spanish newspaper “Mundo Deportivo”, Rashford made the remarks during a meeting with Manchester United fans in the Ambassadors Lounge at Old Trafford, ahead of the clash with Roma. His comments later leaked on social media.
Currently sidelined through injury, Rashford praised Yamal’s abilities and insisted he would never have returned to England had his destination not been Manchester United. “If the return was not to play with United, then I did not want to return to England,” he said.
He added: “Before I left Barcelona, I told Lamine Yamal that I had played with some players with great talent, but he is better than all of them”.
“In my life I have never seen a player of his age with this talent,” Rashford continued. “He is the closest to Messi’s level of all those who have emerged over the past years”.
His faith in the teenager runs deep. “I believe a great deal in this boy’s talent, and if he goes on to win the Ballon d’Or 7 times, it would not surprise me,” he said. “He has finished second, third and eighth, and all of this at the age of what? 19 years old?”.
Rashford also expressed his great admiration for Lionel Messi, predicting that no player with his footballing genius will appear again. “He is an amazing player, and most likely we will never see another player in our lifetime with the complete genius that Leo possesses,” he said.
Despite his praise for Messi and Yamal, Rashford felt that Harry Kane was more deserving of winning the Ballon d’Or this year. “He has scored a huge number of goals this year, and provided a huge number of decisive assists,” he explained. “I sent him a text message the other day and told him he deserves the award”.
On his reasons for returning to Old Trafford, Rashford explained that he made his decision after his spell with Aston Villa ended. “I realised one thing. I was no longer able to play against United every season. And if United was not an available option, then I asked my agent to move me abroad, and not to put me at another club in the Premier League,” he said.
