They are 10 years older — Yamal reacts to comparisons with Messi, Mbappe and Haaland

Spain's 18-year-old sensation Lamine Yamal has distanced himself from scoring competitions with global icons like Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, and Erling Haaland, insisting his sole focus at the 2026 FIFA World Cup is lifting the trophy. 

After the aforementioned superstars all opened their tournament campaigns with spectacular braces or hat-tricks (in Messi's case), questions immediately turned to Yamal regarding his own goalscoring ambitions. 

The Barcelona winger quickly shut down the comparisons, highlighting the generational gap between himself and the veteran forwards. 

"I don't care about how many goals I score. I'm not obsessing about that," Yamal stated emphatically. "First of all, they're [Mbappe, Messi & co] all at least 10 years older than me, and my style of play is different. I only want to win."  

Yamal's mature comments arrive as he prepares for his first start of the tournament when Spain faces Saudi Arabia in Group H action. 

Widely regarded as one of the best footballers in the world alongside his older peers, the teenager was restricted to a brief 20-minute substitute appearance during Spain's frustrating 0-0 opening draw against Cabo Verde on Monday, June 15, as he was cautiously managed following a recent injury. 

Brushing off any pressure to match the astronomical scoring numbers of his rivals, Yamal reiterated that collective glory with the reigning UEFA Euro 2024 champions entirely supersedes personal accolades. "You can score 16 goals in the tournament but be eliminated in the semis, so I don't want that. I want to win," he concluded.