Yamal earns star backing

Neymar and Sergio Agüero have both used the past week to publicly push Lamine Yamal into football’s top tier of names at age 18. (sports.yahoo.com) Neymar said he hopes the Barcelona forward wins “next year’s” Champions League and “why not the Ballon d’Or too,” days after Barcelona went out to Atlético Madrid in the quarter-finals. Yahoo’s April 19 report said Barça won the second leg 2-1 but lost the tie 3-2 on aggregate. (sports.yahoo.com) In a separate report published April 18, Neymar said what Yamal is doing at 18 is “simply unnatural.” The remark added another endorsement from a former Barcelona and Brazil star Yamal has called his idol. (m.elbotola.com, goal.com) Agüero joined in on April 19, saying “everyone go and watch him” and calling Yamal’s level “very difficult to find.” Yahoo’s version of the interview said Agüero now considers Yamal “already the best player in the world.” (sports.yahoo.com) The praise is landing in the middle of Yamal’s biggest club season yet. Barcelona’s official player page lists him with 44 appearances, 23 goals and 17 assists in 2025-26, while ESPN shows 15 goals and 11 assists in 27 La Liga matches as of April 19. (fcbarcelona.com, espn.com) Yamal turned 18 on July 13, 2025, and now wears Barcelona’s No. 10 shirt. Barcelona says he joined the club at age 7 and rose through La Masia before reaching the first team under Xavi Hernández. (espn.com, fcbarcelona.com) The Neymar comments also connect two players who have spoken about each other this month. On April 14, Marca reported that Yamal said Neymar “belongs” at the 2026 World Cup, while Goal described Neymar as Yamal’s “idol.” (marca.com, goal.com) For now, the immediate test is Barcelona’s run-in after the Atlético exit. With Neymar talking about the Champions League and Ballon d’Or, and Agüero telling people to “go and watch him,” Yamal’s next matches will be played under louder expectations than before. (sports.yahoo.com, sports.yahoo.com)