Gerrard tips Yamal as superior to Messi and Ronaldo at 19

In a quiet corner of Barcelona’s Camp Nou, former Liverpool and England captain Steven Gerrard tipped Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal to join football’s legendary pantheon, saying the 19‑year‑old is already further along than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were at the same age.

Record haul and international honours

Since breaking through in 2023, the Spanish prodigy has already collected two LaLiga titles with Barcelona, a UEFA European Championship and a FIFA World Cup with Spain.

He has recorded 62 goals in 167 club appearances and added 37 LaLiga assists, intensifying the comparison with the game’s greatest figures.

Gerrard added that Yamal is operating at a level beyond even world‑class stars Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland.

“He’s the one player I would say who potentially has that level, if he continues to evolve,” Gerrard said, adding that “Mbappé and Haaland are around there, in terms of being in their prime years right now, but it seems to me that Lamine is one who’s just a bit above that.”

Luis de la Fuente urges Lamine Yamal to emulate Messi and Ronaldo

Gerrard insisted he has never seen a player of Yamal’s age perform at such a high standard, while warning that long‑term consistency remains the ultimate test.

“In terms of talent and potential, he’s doing things on a football pitch that I’ve never seen a 19‑year‑old do,” Gerrard explained, “He’s more advanced than Ronaldo was at 19. I played against Messi as a youngster, and he’s probably more advanced than he was too.”

The former midfielder warned that staying focused will be the youngster’s main battle in the coming years.

Ronaldo overtaken by Yamal, says Steven Gerrard

“The biggest challenge for him—and those around him at Barcelona—is how do they keep him hungry?” Gerrard added, “Is he going to have the consistency which they both had? Can he get the goals they did—and will he evolve into a No. 9?”