Cristian Tello knows what it’s like to grow up at La Masia and make it to the first team. He made his debut under Pep Guardiola, played alongside Messi, and has just retired from professional football.
That’s why his opinion on Lamine Yamal carries weight. Asked by the newspaper Sport whether the young winger would have been a starter so soon at Barcelona in 2012, Tello was direct.
“I don’t think he would have been a starter; he would have found it difficult to make it. I think he would have been promoted, given the level he has and what he’s showing, but it would have been difficult because of the players who were there”.
His argument isn’t about Yamal’s quality, but about who was ahead of him. “We’re talking about Alexis, Pedrito, Villa, Leo, Neymar… They’re players any academy graduate would find it very difficult to make room for in the first team”.
Today, 19-year-old Yamal is a starter for Barça. The question dividing Barça fans is something else: does true talent make its way through in any era, or are some teams so great that not even a genius can get in?