Steven Gerrard believes Lamine Yamal will be spoken about alongside Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo within the next decade.
The former Liverpool midfielder made the prediction ahead of Barcelona’s Champions League clash with Aston Villa, in which the 19-year-old scored the opener and moved clear of Kylian Mbappé as the competition’s highest-scoring teenager.
Gerrard, working as a pundit for TNT Sports, spoke in the Camp Nou tunnel before kick-off on 3 November 2026.
Yamal breaks Mbappé’s teenage Champions League goals record
Yamal opened the scoring in the seventh minute at the Spotify Camp Nou, capitalising on a Villa error before finishing into the bottom corner past goalkeeper Zion Suzuki.
It was his 14th Champions League goal in 37 appearances, taking him past Kylian Mbappé’s teenage record of 13, according to ESPN. Yamal also holds the record for most Champions League goals scored before turning 18 (five) and 19 (11).
Raphinha doubled Barcelona’s lead in the 52nd minute with a shot from the edge of the box that deflected past Suzuki, then added another shortly after the hour mark. Villa, who had won their first three league-phase matches, suffered their first defeat of the season.
Both teams remain on nine points. Across all competitions, Yamal has scored 13 goals and provided 11 assists in 15 appearances this season.
What Gerrard said and how Yamal compares with Messi and Ronaldo
Gerrard said he was excited to watch Yamal in person, describing him as a megastar whose goals and assists are “beyond belief”.
He contrasted the teenager’s achievements with the hype surrounding young English players after only a handful of games, saying Yamal had the numbers to justify the praise at the same age and was already in Ballon d’Or conversations.
Gerrard added that players like Messi and Ronaldo come along only occasionally.
"Just to be in the stadium tonight to watch him up close and personal, I'm sure it'll be a pleasure. We talk about superstars in England who are 16, 17, 18 and have played a handful of games. He's the same age, and he's got numbers that are beyond belief, Gerrard said.
"he's already in the conversation for Ballon d'Ors. He's still a teenager, which is a scary thing really. These players come around every so often, and I know I'm not saying this too soon, he's going to be spoken about like them in a decade's time." He added.
Yamal embraced the former Liverpool midfielder before heading out to warm up. The Ballon d’Or reference is supported by Yamal’s recent finishes. He came third this year behind Harry Kane and Mbappé, having finished second to Ousmane Dembélé the previous year.
Yamal’s first 14 games of the season have already replicated Messi's first 14 in 2008-09. Yamal recorded 12 goals and 11 assists, while Messi had 11 goals and eight assists.
Messi went on to finish that season with 38 goals as Barcelona won the treble, making the comparison an early one.
Gerrard has faced Messi himself. The former midfielder played against him twice in the 2006-07 Champions League round of 16 and named Messi and Ronaldo as the only opponents he feared in a 2015 Daily Mirror interview.
He has also said he would choose Messi over Ronaldo. Yamal, however, has said he does not compare himself with anyone, least of all Messi.
Barcelona travel to Sabah on 25 November before hosting Manchester City on 8 December. Villa will visit Galatasaray on 24 November and welcome Paris Saint-Germain on 8 December.
