A decade ago, Lionel Messi left Bayern Munich defenders trailing in his wake, frozen in time, bamboozled by the brilliance of the world's best player in the prime of his career. Now, as Barcelona stand once again on the brink of a Uefa Champions League final, it is another left-footed prodigy with a slalom in his stride and a menacing mindset who shoulders the Catalans' burden of expectation.
For 26-year-old Messi in 2015 read 17-year-old Lamine Yamal in 2025. Like Messi before him, Yamal has taken the mantle of Barcelona torch-bearer, game-changer, the team’s X-factor.
When Barca host Inter Milan on Wednesday night at the Olympic Stadium atop Montjuic, the spotlight won’t fall on Robert Lewandowski or Raphinha. It will track the No 19 Spanish wunderkind – hugging the touchline, ready to receive the ball and weave the kind of chaos that once defined Messi in his pomp.
Hansi Flick’s Barcelona is a team of daring, one committed to the front foot. It is swashbuckling, flawed for sure, but fearless – and it revolves around a teenager with the world at his feet.
After lighting up the European Championship last summer with Spain, the expectations placed on Yamal were high. What he has achieved since then has been nothing short of staggering, his contribution to Barcelona's push for an unprecedented quadruple as bright as his new bleached-blond locks. Fourteen goals, twenty-four assists, and countless moments that have left defenders flailing and fans rubbing their eyes in disbelief.
In Saturday’s Copa del Rey Clasico against Real Madrid, it was Yamal, predictably, who unlocked the door twice, playing creator-in-chief in a 3–2 win that crackled with the kind of drama Barcelona have made their trademark this season. He is already among the frontrunners for the 2025 Ballon d'Or.
It was the third final in a row in which not only did Yamal pick up a winners' medal but made a telling contribution. His goal in January's Spanish Super Cup final in Riyadh began the comeback against Real Madrid that eventually saw Barca run out 5-2 winners.
And yet, for all the buzz and bold headlines, what sets Yamal apart is a disarming composure. When he made his debut at 15 – thrown on by Xavi in a near-empty Camp Nou against Real Betis in a Liga match on April 29, 2023 – he looked, understandably, like a boy surrounded by giants. But that was the last time he looked unsure. Since then, Yamal has been the personification of calmness. He has already crammed more into a nascent career less than three years old than some players achieve in a lifetime.
Barcelona's more experienced players remain stunned by his temperament. "These kids from La Masia, they don’t get flustered anymore," said captain Ronald Araujo.
Of course, the Messi comparisons are inevitable. Yamal, though, responds with the maturity you might not expect in one so young but with the reverence of one who grew up worshipping at the alter of the Argentine.
“Messi is the best player in history," says Yamal. "Being compared to him means I’m doing something right. But I try to be myself.”
The photo of Messi bathing a baby Yamal in 2007 for a charity calendar feels like a plot point too absurd for fiction, or even AI. The symmetry too perfect. Myth and reality make for strange bedfellows, but this is Barcelona and now, with Flick's side needing a talisman – it is Yamal who stands ready.
Should Barcelona find their way back to the summit of European football, Yamal will not just be part of the story. He will be its protagonist. And then, whether he wants them or not, those Messi comparisons will only grow more frequent, more louder, more justified.
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Padmaavat
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
The years Ramadan fell in May
Match info
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Liverpool v Porto, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)
Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Mubalada World Tennis Championship 2018 schedule
Thursday December 27
Men's quarter-finals
Kevin Anderson v Hyeon Chung 4pm
Dominic Thiem v Karen Khachanov 6pm
Women's exhibition
Serena Williams v Venus Williams 8pm
Friday December 28
5th place play-off 3pm
Men's semi-finals
Rafael Nadal v Anderson/Chung 5pm
Novak Djokovic v Thiem/Khachanov 7pm
Saturday December 29
3rd place play-off 5pm
Men's final 7pm
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club race card
5pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic (PA) Prestige; Dh110,000; 1,400m
5.30pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic (PA) Prestige; Dh110,000; 1,400m
6pm: Maiden (PA); Dh80,000; 1,600m
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Championship (PA) Listed; Dh180,000; 1,600m
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap; Dh70,000; 2,200m
7.30pm: Handicap (PA); Dh100,000; 2,400m
Credit Score explained
What is a credit score?
In the UAE your credit score is a number generated by the Al Etihad Credit Bureau (AECB), which represents your credit worthiness – in other words, your risk of defaulting on any debt repayments. In this country, the number is between 300 and 900. A low score indicates a higher risk of default, while a high score indicates you are a lower risk.
Why is it important?
Financial institutions will use it to decide whether or not you are a credit risk. Those with better scores may also receive preferential interest rates or terms on products such as loans, credit cards and mortgages.
How is it calculated?
The AECB collects information on your payment behaviour from banks as well as utilitiy and telecoms providers.
How can I improve my score?
By paying your bills on time and not missing any repayments, particularly your loan, credit card and mortgage payments. It is also wise to limit the number of credit card and loan applications you make and to reduce your outstanding balances.
How do I know if my score is low or high?
By checking it. Visit one of AECB’s Customer Happiness Centres with an original and valid Emirates ID, passport copy and valid email address. Liv. customers can also access the score directly from the banking app.
How much does it cost?
A credit report costs Dh100 while a report with the score included costs Dh150. Those only wanting the credit score pay Dh60. VAT is payable on top.
Where to Find Me by Alba Arikha
Alma Books
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
UAE Rugby finals day
Games being played at The Sevens, Dubai
2pm, UAE Conference final
Dubai Tigers v Al Ain Amblers
4pm, UAE Premiership final
Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Jebel Ali Dragons
Match info
What: Fifa Club World Cup play-off
Who: Al Ain v Team Wellington
Where: Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
When: Wednesday, kick off 7.30pm
Crops that could be introduced to the UAE
1: Quinoa
2. Bathua
3. Amaranth
4. Pearl and finger millet
5. Sorghum
Men’s singles
Group A: Son Wan-ho (Kor), Lee Chong Wei (Mas), Ng Long Angus (HK), Chen Long (Chn)
Group B: Kidambi Srikanth (Ind), Shi Yugi (Chn), Chou Tien Chen (Tpe), Viktor Axelsen (Den)
Women’s Singles
Group A: Akane Yamaguchi (Jpn), Pusarla Sindhu (Ind), Sayaka Sato (Jpn), He Bingjiao (Chn)
Group B: Tai Tzu Ying (Tpe), Sung Hi-hyun (Kor), Ratchanok Intanon (Tha), Chen Yufei (Chn)
Day 2, stumps
Pakistan 482
Australia 30/0 (13 ov)
Australia trail by 452 runs with 10 wickets remaining in the innings
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The Gentlemen
Director: Guy Ritchie
Stars: Colin Farrell, Hugh Grant
Three out of five stars
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
PREMIER LEAGUE RESULTS
Bournemouth 1 Manchester City 2
Watford 0 Brighton and Hove Albion 0
Newcastle United 3 West Ham United 0
Huddersfield Town 0 Southampton 0
Crystal Palace 0 Swansea City 2
Manchester United 2 Leicester City 0
West Bromwich Albion 1 Stoke City 1
Chelsea 2 Everton 0
Tottenham Hotspur 1 Burnley 1
Liverpool 4 Arsenal 0
US tops drug cost charts
The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.
Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.
In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.
Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol.
The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.
High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.
