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Sam Marsden, Barcelona correspondent
Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany says it is exceptional that Barcelona have potentially found a Lionel Messi replacement in Lamine Yamal so soon after the Argentine left the club.
Messi, now at Inter Miami, left Barça in 2021, with Yamal, a left-footed attacker who plays on the right, emerging from the academy to make his first team debut as a 15-year-old in 2023.
The 17-year-old has since played over 60 times for Barça, scoring five goals and providing six assists in 12 appearances this season, and helped Spain win the European Championships in the summer, earning comparisons with Messi along the way.
“It’s exceptional for Barça as a club [to have Yamal] so shortly after the departure of a player like Messi,” Kompany said in a news conference ahead of the meeting between the two sides in the Champions League on Wednesday.
“For my generation, Messi was one of the key figures of our era. To shortly after this player leaving already have potentially a player who can replace him is quite unique.
“Full credit to [Barça’s academy] La Masia for always trusting these players and giving them the chance. But the question for us is not about stopping [Yamal], but trying to win a game against Barcelona, which means [stopping] all the players, not one.
“The focus is on the team, not one player, but he’s an exceptional player.”
Yamal is one of two 17-year-olds who starts regularly for Barça. The other is centre-back Pau Cubarsí, who also drew a rave review from Kompany, a former centre-back himself with Manchester City.
“He’s one of the future defensive leaders in world football for sure,” the Belgian coach said when asked for his opinion on Cubarsí.
“I was lucky to start my career very young, at a similar age, but to play every game at this level, not just representing Barça, but against this level of competition in a top five league and the Champions League, it’s very special, very rare.
“He’s already a good player and if he can hopefully stay fit he will have a wonderful career.”
Kompany, who joined Bayern from Burnley in the summer, has made a good start to his career in Bavaria. His team are unbeaten and top of the Bundesliga, although they lost their last Champions League game at Aston Villa.
Wednesday’s game at the Olympic Stadium provides the latest test to his managerial credentials against a Barça side coached by ex-Bayern boss Hansi Flick, who won the treble during his time in charge of the German club.
“Hansi was not just a coach at Bayern, he was a very successful coach, a person that represented the club in a way that is still spoken about today,” Kompany said.
“He means a lot for Bayern and I am sure this game means a lot for him. But the duel is on the pitch. Hansi’s ideas are very clear; I hope ours are as well.”
Speaking prior to Kompany, Bayern midfielder Joshua Kimmich refused to rule out a move to Barça next summer when his contract expires, instead revealing the impact the Catalan club had on him when he was younger.
“It’s always special to play against Barcelona,” the German international said. “Of course I have seen my name linked with Barça in the past, but it’s not a special game for that reason, simply because they’re a huge club.
“They’ve had success in the past and, along with the Spanish national team that won three trophies in a row, they’re a club that have left a mark on me. Xavi [Hernández] was my idol when I was younger and Pep Guardiola and his Barça side also had a big influence on me.”
Asked to give a direct answer on if he could join Barça next summer, he added: “In football you can never make the mistake of ruling things out. To respond directly to you, I am not thinking of that right now, but you can never rule things out in life or in football.”