Lamine Yamal is ready to play for Spain —not against his childhood hero, Lionel Messi

Spain’s Lamine Yamal is one win from placing himself in soccer immortality. But with immortality comes the cost of dethroning his childhood hero, Argentina’s Lionel Messi.

Read more Super-rich California couple spends $250K on childcare — including baby chefs

Yamal spoke to Diarro de Navarra back on June 19 ahead of their second group-stage match against Saudi Arabia and was asked about Messi.

“I think that in every match he shows that he is the best player in history,” said Yamal of Messi.

“If someone has doubts, it is because they are looking for them; there is nothing more to say there. For me, he is the best,” said Yamal in Spanish.

Yamal grew up idolizing Neymar when he played for Barcelona, but his love and admiration for Messi goes all the way back to when he was a baby, as a photo recently surfaced on social media channels of Messi taking a photo with Yamal as an infant.

Read more ‘Manosphere’ influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate arrested on rape, sex trafficking charges in Florida

At 39 years old, Sunday could potentially be Messi’s final World Cup match, but ironically, it’s the first matchup between Yamal and the Argentine legend.

During this year’s World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo, who has been Messi’s longtime rival, made a shocking announcement that this year was his final tournament at 41 years old.

The tide in soccer is shifting after Ronaldo’s departure from the World Cup and with an unclear future for Messi.

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters