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Former England striker Gary Lineker has named the current player who he believes is the next ‘chosen one’ in football, following in the footsteps of Pele, Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi. The three aforementioned attackers are widely considered to be the greatest footballers to ever exist, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, and were as naturally gifted as has ever been seen.
For most people, reaching that level would be beyond unattainable — particularly in the case of Messi, who holds the record for the most Ballon d’Or titles with eight. However, Lineker believes one player is destined to take the throne from the Argentine, and he snubbed the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior in the process.
Lineker Names Barcelona Starlet as the Heir to Messi’s Throne
The youngster has already impressed in his short career
Speaking on a recent edition of The Rest is Football podcast alongside Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, Lineker heaped even more hype on superstar wonderkid Lamine Yamal by saying that he is the next great player to fall in line with Messi, Maradona and Pele. The teenager has already broken several records in his career, and Lineker believes that he will only go on to get better.
“He’s [Yamal] the next chosen one. I think so. I think you go Pele, Maradona, Messi and, I don’t want to put too much pressure on him, and I am, but he’s next. I’ve never seen anything like it at his age. The stuff he does is absurd.
“He’s the chosen on. There’s been three in my lifetime…I was just going to say without the injuries.”
Richards also agreed with Lineker’s sentiment on Yamal, but admitted that he had fears over what might happen to the youngster should he sustain a serious injury. He referenced Brazilian superstar Ronaldo as an example, whose career was completely derailed because of his fitness, with Lineker saying that the former Real Madrid star would’ve also fallen into the ‘chosen one’ category had it not been for that reason.
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While what Yamal has achieved may be surprising to some, it wasn’t for his former youth coach, Javier Saviola. The Argentine, who also played for Los Cules during his playing career, revealed what his first impressions of the Spaniard were and what made him stand out immediately from the other young talent.
“What impressed us the most, beyond his footballing skills, was his incredible personality,” Saviola explained. “At 15, he was already playing for the Juvenil A team, competing against players up to 19 years old, and yet he still stood out.
“Not only was he the youngest in his category, but he also had the ability to carry the team on his shoulders in crucial moments. There were matches where he literally won them on his own. There are many other talented players, but they still lack something – something they will likely develop over time. However, with Lamine, it was different. We could see that he already had almost everything, with very few things to improve.
“When you come across a player who practically has it all at that age, it’s impossible not to realise that you are witnessing a truly special talent.”
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If he continues in his current vein of form, Yamal may have his sights set on becoming the youngest Ballon d’Or winner, surpassing Ronaldo Nazario’s 1997 victory.
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