Barcelona chiefs have reportedly been left unhappy with Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente for comparing youngster Lamine Yamal to Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona.
The 16-year-old had already written his name into the history books by becoming Barca's youngest-ever player in April, and records have continued to tumble at his feet ever since.
Over the past couple of months, Yamal has become his nation's youngest-ever appearance maker and goalscorer, opening his account for La Roja on his debut in a 7-1 Euro 2024 qualifying success over Georgia.
Domestically, Yamal also holds the record for the youngest player to register an assist in La Liga, having set up two goals during La Blaugrana's 4-3 beating of Villarreal on August 27, before his cross against Sevilla was diverted into the net by Sergio Ramos in a 1-0 Barca win on September 29.
The 2007-born protege has already made four La Liga starts in the current campaign, and in midweek, he broke the record for the youngest player to make a Champions League starting lineup in Barca's 1-0 triumph over Porto.
Prior to his historic European appearance, Yamal extended his Barcelona contract for another three years until the summer of 2026, and those terms also include a €1bn (£866.1m) release clause.
Yamal's unparalleled exploits as a teenager have inevitably led to comparisons with some of the game's greatest players, and De la Fuente name-checked Messi and Maradona when lauding the Spaniard's feats at such a young age.
"There are footballers who knock down the door before others. He [Yamal] has exceptional conditions and his performance will determine what we can give him," De la Fuente told a press conference after naming Yamal in his latest Spain squad.
"Remember when Messi or Maradona played when they were 16? Now it seems sacrilegious to debate whether they should play when they are 16 years old. You don't have to set limits for players like that."
Despite the high praise, Sport - via the Daily Mail - states that De la Fuente's remarks have not gone down well with Barcelona, who want to avoid piling too much pressure on the 16-year-old.
Earlier this week, Barca head coach Xavi also expressed his dislike for the Messi comparisons, claiming that several youngsters who are likened to the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner go on to disappoint.
"We are not doing Lamine any favours if we compare him with Messi," Xavi told the press prior to La Blaugrana's Champions League beating of Porto.
"It is true that the expectations are enormous, he is proving it, but we are going to see the future. But we have already seen that all the players who have been compared to Messi, they haven't done well at all."
Thanks to Yamal's efforts, Barcelona have enjoyed an unbeaten start to the La Liga season, winning six and drawing two of their opening eight games to sit third in the table.
The Spanish champions return to action away to Granada on Sunday evening, after which Yamal will link up with the Spain squad for Euro 2024 qualifiers with Scotland and Norway on October 12 and 15 respectively. body check tags ::
