Video: Lamine Yamal praises Hamza Abdelkarim, sings the praises of Mohamed Salah and settles the debate on the best of all time | Goal.com

Published on 27 Sep 2026 | Reading time: 2 minutes

Lamine Yamal didn't just talk up Barcelona's progress under Hansi Flick. The Spain star also reserved special praise for Egypt's Hamza Abdel Karim, tipping the youngster for a dazzling future. He touched on Mohamed Salah and the Egyptian national team too, before finally settling on his pick for the greatest player in football history.

Speaking to the programme "From Cairo", broadcast on the "On Sport" channel, Yamal said Barcelona had taken a leap this season in terms of understanding and harmony between the players. "We play for the sake of the team, and our goal is always to win," he stressed.

Asked about balancing enjoyment on the pitch with carrying out Flick's instructions, he explained: "I try to play with full effectiveness, to make the difference and give everything I have for the team, but my main role is to achieve balance. The team adapts to the presence of a number of players, and every player is distinguished in what he does."

Yamal made no secret of his admiration for Hamza Abdel Karim. "He is a striker who scores a lot of goals, and he has a high ability to adapt," he said. "A dazzling future awaits him, and he possesses all the qualities that make him a wonderful striker, and he will score many goals for the team."

On the Africans nominated for the Ballon d'Or, he added: "I hope there will always be many Africans nominated for the Ballon d'Or, but I believe that the Ballon d'Or is about performance, not nationality."

How do you stay motivated after winning the World Cup and the European Championship? Yamal's answer was simple: "With calmness and the desire to achieve more, and no one gets bored of winning."

Turning to Barcelona's Champions League hopes, he added: "Luck must be on our side, and we must play to win the title, and I hope to achieve the title this year."

The Barcelona star also had plenty to say about the Egyptian national team. "Everyone knows that Egypt has distinguished players, and I was expecting this level of performance against Argentina," he said. "The Egyptian national team has a distinguished technical level, not just a physical one."

Salah drew warm words from the teenager. "Mohamed Salah is a great and very important player," he stressed, before sending a special message to Hamza Abdel Karim: "He has the skills and abilities to be a legend."

Then came the big question. Asked to name the greatest in football history between Lionel Messi, Pelé and Diego Maradona, Yamal didn't hesitate: "Messi, from what I have seen and watched, I will choose Messi with all that he has offered and all that he continues to offer."

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