‘Aside from Messi’ – Gavi names Lamine Yamal the best in the world before Spain vs Austria

‘Messi aside, he’s the best.’ That’s not a fan raving on social media — that’s Gavi. Spain’s midfielder just put 18-year-old team-mate Lamine Yamal at the very top of world football, with only Lionel Messi ranked above him. The timing couldn’t be sharper: Spain face Austria in a matter of days in the last 16, and the whole squad is holding its breath over their No.10’s fitness.

Gavi and Yamal, the partnership fuelling Spain’s dream

Gavi didn’t hold back. In his eyes, Lamine Yamal has nothing left to prove on the world stage — except against Lionel Messi himself. The pair have shared a dressing room at Barcelona for years, so when Gavi talks up his team-mate, it isn’t a courtesy compliment. It’s an insider’s verdict.

Why speak up now? Because Spain are entering the business end of the tournament. Gavi knows Roja will need a fully fit Yamal to dream of the title, and he’s sending a message of confidence to his young team-mate at exactly the right moment.

Yamal returns from injury as Spain hold their breath

Lamine Yamal is rebuilding his match sharpness after a hamstring injury. That’s no small detail at this stage of the competition — one setback and Spain’s entire project wobbles. The medical staff are managing his return carefully, session by session.

The question isn’t about talent anymore. It’s whether he can last 90 minutes in a knockout tie. Gavi, for one, clearly has no doubts — and he’s saying so before the answer is even confirmed.

A genuine threat to England’s World Cup hopes?

If Spain keep this form up, a meeting with England further down the bracket stops being a distant scenario. A fully-firing Yamal alongside an inspired Gavi is the kind of duo that gives any back four sleepless nights — England’s included.

Tuchel knows the drill: in knockout football, one moment of individual brilliance settles a tie. Right now, that spark wears a Spain shirt, and England’s own young talents will need to match it if the sides ever cross paths.

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