Premier League great Louis Saha makes startling nine-word parallel between Lamine Yamal on one side, and Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo on the other, with stark Neymar warning
Lamine Yamal’s rise at Barcelona has often been framed as the beginning of an era. To many, the comparisons to Lionel Messi feel inevitable; to others, the teenager’s poise makes him a future heir to Cristiano Ronaldo’s longevity. But Premier League great Louis Saha has injected a sobering note into the global conversation, insisting that amid the excitement, there is a dangerous pathway that could pull the youngster off course. His startling observation includes Neymar, and it comes packaged with a nine-word parallel that Saha believes soccer should take seriously.
In a season where Lamine Yamal continues to be the face of Barcelona’s rebuild, and as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo near the final chapters of their historic careers, Saha has stepped into the debate with a perspective formed both by experience and caution. The Frenchman did not mince his words when asked about Yamal’s potential to reach the heights of Messi. “Can Yamal reach Messi’s level and even surpass him? That would certainly be great for him, but I don’t believe it,” he said in an interview, via Goal.
According to Saha, talent is not what Yamal lacks. The issue lies elsewhere, in something other greats had in suffocating abundance: an all-consuming dedication to the craft. “Yamal has talent, but I don’t see the passion for football in him like Cristiano Ronaldo had. These guys were completely dedicated to football.” This notion of obsession—a word often used to describe Ronaldo’s relentless decades-long pursuit of excellence, and Messi’s total devotion to the game—serves as Saha’s benchmark. He fears Yamal may be drifting toward a different trajectory, one he feels soccer has seen before.
It is in this moment that the ex-Manchester United star argued that external noise, fame, and lifestyle distractions can overwhelm a prodigy if they’re not prepared. His sharpest comparison was pointed: “Some distractions are already around Yamal… I fear he might stray off the path, just like Neymar.”
Only later does Saha unveil the full nine-word parallel tying Yamal, Messi, Ronaldo, and Neymar together: “You will find him dragged away from the game.” According to the former striker, this is precisely the danger that derailed the Brazilian’s ascent into the pantheon alongside Messi and Ronaldo. Neymar’s raw ability, he insists, was “maybe even better” than Yamal’s—and arguably close to the two icons—but lifestyle choices and external influence tugged him in conflicting directions.
The Neymar example – Soccer’s great ‘what if’
Few players in modern history have carried the level of expectation Neymar once shouldered. Saha believes that Neymar had everything: “For me, maybe better quality.” But that quality was not enough to resist what he describes as a vortex of fame, pressure, and misplaced priorities. “Sometimes the management is not easy… you can find yourself dragged into something not useful to your game.”
The inference is clear: without the unshakeable obsession of Messi and Ronaldo, even world-beating potential can fade. And with Yamal now becoming a global superstar before even turning 19, Saha sees dangerous similarities.
The Yamal debate: Obsession vs. distraction
Yamal has already achieved moments of brilliance: a Ballon d’Or runner-up finish, decisive contributions in La Liga, and historical milestones for club and country. Yet the noise surrounding him has grown just as quickly. The winger’s 18th birthday celebration controversy, his occasional outbursts on social media, and the headlines that followed him long after matches have fueled the 47-year-old’s worry.
“Talent could be wasted because we are starting to see too many things in the papers about him.” Saha believes that staying at Barcelona is essential: “For the sake of the soccer we love… we want him to develop in Barcelona and be stable.” A premature mega-transfer, he warned—referencing Neymar’s move to Paris—could destabilize the youngster.