Tag: Dani Olmo

Barcelona midfielder Dani Olmo said it is “crazy” to compare teenage winger Lamine Yamal to club great Lionel Messi.

Like Barca’s all-time top goalscorer Messi, Yamal came through the club’s feted La Masia youth academy and has often drawn comparisons to the Argentine forward, which he has tried to play down.

Yamal, 18, scored a brilliant acrobatic goal on Sunday as Barcelona beat Real Oviedo 3-0 to move top of La Liga.

“I think Lamine has his path and he knows it. Comparing any player playing now with Messi is crazy,” Olmo told a news conference ahead of Barcelona’s Champions League match against Copenhagen.

“Lamine is a ‘spectacle’, he is very young, what he’s giving us now is incredible and in the future it will be a lot more.”

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Yamal made his Barcelona debut at the age of 15 and has broken several records in his first seasons at the club, including becoming the youngest La Liga goalscorer.

The winger lifted the Euro 2024 trophy with Spain and was vital in Barca’s run to the Champions League semi-finals last season.

”(Yamal) is calm, he has his path and his idea. We will be there to help him, that’s our job,” added Olmo.

“It’s a collective thing in the end. If Lamine plays well, wins, scores goals, then the team will win.”

Barcelona host Copenhagen today, needing to win and hope other results go their way to seal a top eight league phase spot to progress directly to the last 16.

The Spanish champions will be without injured midfielder Pedri Gonzalez as well as the suspended Frenkie de Jong, but Ferran Torres may return after injury, said coach Hansi Flick.

“We have to play this match and respect Copenhagen, they have a fantastic team, and play at our top level,” said Flick.

“We have a big chance to finish in the (top) eight; we will do everything we can to reach it.”

Barcelona forward Dani Olmo is set to be sidelined for up to five weeks due to a hamstring injury, the club confirmed on Monday. 

The 26-year-old was forced off during the second half of Barça’s 4-1 victory over Girona on Sunday. 

Medical tests conducted on Monday revealed that Olmo will be out for at least a month.

As a result, he will miss several key fixtures, including Thursday’s Champions League clash with AS Monaco and upcoming LaLiga matches against Villarreal, Getafe, Osasuna, and Alavés. 

He will also be absent for the European fixture against Young Boys before the international break in October. 

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Barcelona hopes to have him back in time for a challenging post-break period, which kicks off with a game against Sevilla on October 20, followed by matches against Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Espanyol.

Olmo, who joined Barcelona this summer from RB Leipzig for €55 million ($61.2m), has had a promising start to his time at the club. 

He has been instrumental in their strong form, scoring in three consecutive games, including in the win against Girona.

 His absence adds to Barcelona’s growing injury list, which already includes key players such as Ronald Araújo, Andreas Christensen, Marc Bernal, Frenkie de Jong, and Fermín López.

Despite these setbacks, Barcelona’s LaLiga campaign is off to a flying start, with Lamine Yamal assuring fans they are in for an exciting season as the team recorded its best goal-scoring start since 2017.