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Lamine Yamal, a 17-year-old Lionel Messi, said he would not compare himself to him, and he did so in one of the Champions League’s greatest semi-finals.

He was later referred to as “a genius,” “a cheat code,” and “a phenomenal talent.”

In their epic first-leg encounter, Barca and Inter Milan ended up drawing 3-3 with visiting full-back Denzel Dumfries scoring twice and winning the match’s MVP.

Yamal, 17, who scored his 22nd goal in his eminently 100th Barcelona game, will make the most of the world’s attention.

After Inter had led 2-0 in the 21st minute, he performed a masterclass, especially in the first half, which gave him a fantastic comeback.

In the Euro 2024 final four last summer, Yamal won with a stylish Champions League semi-final goal to go with one. One of the best players in the world, unquestionably, before turning 18

“I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a 45-minute clip from a single person before in my life.” As the players left the pitch at half-time, Ally McCoist, a TNT Sports pundit, said, “It is unbelievable.”

Following that, Simone Inzaghi, Inter Milan’s manager, praised Yamal the most.

He said, “Seeing him up close is the kind of talent that comes along every 50 years.”

He caused us a lot of trouble because we had to give in to his needs and that wasn’t enough.

He is unique, genius, according to Barca boss Hansi Flick. He appears in big matches.

I’m glad it’s for Barcelona, Simone said, “If it only comes every 50 years.”

He was described as a potential Ballon d’Or winner by BBC journalist Stephen Warnock.

Before the game, Yamal appeared to hurt his groin and traveled down the tunnel during the warm-up, with rumors that he might not play.

Before Inter led 2-0 thanks to Marcus Thuram’s 30-second backheel flick from a Dumfries cross and Dutchman Dumfries’ flying close-range volley, he did start but he hardly had an impact.

But then Yamal, who was being double-marked, came to life, beating a few Inter players before delivering the ball with astonishing ease and confidence.

Moments later, he beat more defenders on the byeline and fired a shot past Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer, which was a penalty.

After the break, Ferran Torres’ excellent teamwork brought Barca level before the break.

Dumfries’ header, however, gave the Italian side a second lead before Dumfries’ header.

However, as a result of Yamal’s deft dumming of a pass, Raphinha lashed in from 25 yards, which hit the bar, and went in off Sommer’s for an own goal, just as Barca was level again.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan thought he had made it 4-3 to Inter, but a slight offside prevented him from scoring.

How much Yamal has accomplished in his younger years is beyond comprehension.

His 100th goal for Spain came in this, his 22nd overall, and his 100th goal in that club.

Yamal also contributed 27 assists, including two in Real Madrid’s extra-time Copa del Rey victory on Saturday.

Messi and Ronaldo, the two greatest players of this generation, did not make their international debuts until the age of 18, while Yamal won Euro 2024 the following year.

Before turning 18, Messi scored five goals, with Ronaldo scoring five.

Yamal is the youngest La Liga player at Barcelona (15 years old) and the youngest player to score and contribute for any team.

Additionally, he holds records for the youngest Champions League starter, youngest player to score in a knockout game, quarter-final, and semi-final.

By Yamal’s age, very few players have had the same kind of impact in the game. In July, he will turn 18 years old.

He appears to be the greatest footballer in history, having played for Inter Miami before him and being the closest thing to Barcelona and Argentina great Messi.

Both players play on the right wing and both graduated from Barca Academy, La Masia.

In the run-up to the game, Yamal told reporters, “I don’t compare myself to him, because I don’t compare myself to anyone,” while also praising the Argentine as “the best player in history,” “I don’t compare myself to anyone, because I don’t compare myself to anyone.”

However, Messi was only very young and promising, compared to Messi’s reputation as one of the best in the world at the age of 17.

Yamal continued, “I don’t think the comparison makes sense, with Messi even less. I’m going to enjoy myself and be myself.”

However, he shares an unusual relationship with Messi, who he first encountered when he was a child.

A photo was taken during the 2007 Nou Camp photo shoot for the Barcelona charity calendar.

Yamal was a 20-year-old Messi who helped him take a bath in the movie. Really, I guess.

Lamine’s family lived in Mataro, where Unicef held a raffle for money.

Rio Ferdinand, an ex-England defender, said, “We walked down to the city center and you could tell there is a superstar in this town right now, in Lamine Yamal.”

The footage from Yamal captivated the audience.

Former Bayern Munich, Manchester United, and England international Owen Hargreaves called him a “cheat code” on TNT.

I just want to see Lamine Yamal score the ball, he continued, “and everyone else gets out of the way.”

Watching BBC’s Champions League Match of the Day, former Liverpool and England defender Warnock remarked, “He was unplayable at times. His aim was outrageous.

“Watching Yamal is ridiculous. You are aware of what he consistently wants to do: enter with his left foot. You overcompensate, and he can actually put a decent ball in with his right foot, and he can drag it with his left foot as well.

I adore watching him because he has a phenomenal talent.

Watch highlights of every Champions League game on BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport, and the BBC Sport website and app from 12:00 to eve of the match.

Chelsea will soon receive yet another Women’s Super League trophy.

With two games to go, the Blues defeated Manchester United on Wednesday night, claiming their sixth straight league title.

The title race hasn’t been decided on the final day for the first time in five years.

Chelsea established themselves as the dominant force in the top division of England under Emma Hayes, and Sonia Bompastor has carried that legacy.

The club has now won nine overall and six consecutive WSL titles, which is three more than any other team.

Bompastor’s side has won 20 league games this season, breaking the previous record for the longest unbeaten streak in a single WSL season. She has since hit the ground running with that record.

Chelsea hasn’t lost a game in the WSL for five seasons.

That was during the 2019-20 campaign, when the coronavirus pandemic caused the season to be delayed.

At the time, Chelsea had only played 15 games, and based on a points-per-game ratio, they were declared WSL winners.

The Blues will become the first team to have won 18 games without losing to Tottenham and Liverpool in their final two games if they do not lose to Tottenham and Liverpool in their final two games.

Only two other WSL teams have gone unbeaten this year, with only 16 and 14 games between them, respectively, Manchester City (2016) and Arsenal (2012).

Although 54 goals in 20 games might seem like a respectable goals-to-game total, Chelsea haven’t been as prolific in front of the posts as many times.

It will be their lowest goal total since the Covid-disrupted season when they scored 47 unless the Blues can score eight more goals in their final two games.

Chelsea have grown used to blowing opponents away, but frequently this has meant slogging away victories.

They won 13 games by a three-goal margin or greater last term. Only six of their victories this season have resulted in three or more goals.

Only two of their 18 victories under Hayes last season were decided by a single goal, compared to the eight games that Bompastor’s side have won by just one goal.

And they’ve frequently left it late. In the final fifteen minutes of matches, they have scored almost a third of their goals this season, compared to 9% in the opening fifteen.

Just over two years after leaving, former senior executive Shaila-Ann Rao has made a surprise return to the FIA, the organization’s governing body.

After only six months in the position, Rao, the FIA president, appointed her adviser.

Before joining the FIA, Rao was a lawyer who previously served as Toto Wolff’s boss and general counsel to the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

In the upcoming FIA presidential election, Rao returns as Ben Sulayem prepares to run for re-election.

Rao himself got in touch with the Emirati to inquire about joining the group.

In the wake of a string of controversy that Ben Sulayem experienced during his three years as president, Rao’s appointment comes at a new level.

The resignation of Robert Reid, deputy president for sport, this month, was the most recent example of concern for the FIA’s direction of governance under Ben Sulayem’s leadership.

The former chief executive officer, Natalie Robyn, who had only been in her position for 18 months, was asked to leave the organization last summer, breaking the silence on the day.

In remarks made to BBC Sport, Robyn also expressed concern for Ben Sulayem’s leadership.

On May 1st, Rao will begin his job. According to an FIA statement, she will serve as a consultant and give advice to the FIA president on a range of issues, including regulatory and business issues related to the seven FIA World Championships.

In the statement, Ben Sulayem stated, “Shaila-Ann Rao will be a great asset to my team as we work to improve the regulatory and commercial frameworks across all the FIA World Championships, benefiting our drivers, teams, and FIA member clubs.

She will also give me advice on issues involving all the FIA World Championship sponsors.

Rao stated, “I look forward to advising the FIA president throughout the FIA World Championships and building on the significant progress that has already been made to strengthen the Championships’ regulatory and commercial frameworks.”

“I’m excited to support the FIA at this time and help the FIA president create a stronger future for motor sport,” said the FIA president.

The FIA has not yet responded, despite BBC Sport’s request for more details regarding the circumstances surrounding Rao’s employment.

the beginning of the summer. A test squad will be announced. I go back to the days when I competed for a spot in the England team to bowl.

Between 2010 and 2017, I played cricket internationally. There was a mix of optimism, hope, and determination at the start of each of those summers that I would bowl well enough in Championship cricket to receive the call.

The currency was wickets. Tim Bresnan, Graham Onions, Chris Tremlett, Chris Woakes, Jim Anderson, and a number of others were vying for the other spot because James Anderson and Stuart Broad were both inked in the side.

Because I was aware that the other guys were attempting to accomplish the same thing, this caused conflict and hunger. Another way to demonstrate that you were prepared for the intensity of international cricket was by backing up performances and demonstrating the stamina to do it over a number of weeks in the domestic game.

England’s selection process has changed over the years under the leadership of Rob Key, Brendon McCullum, and Ben Stokes. I wonder if the players’ expectations for selection, as well as those I can recall, have changed.

For the past few years, Sam Cook has been the outstanding seam bowler in county cricket. With 318 first-class wickets and an average of 19.77, he seems to have passed the point of his playing days.

It would surprise if he wasn’t in the squad for the Test against Zimbabwe next month after being restrained from Essex’s Championship game against Somerset a few weeks ago.

Even with the overwhelming body of evidence and a ton of wickets in his hands, I still think England Cook is finally worth supporting.

Bowlers worked hard at the beginning of the summer, when the pitches were flat and the Kookaburra ball was being used in the Championship. Essex defeated Nottinghamshire by ten wickets to win the match. The selectors, who will rightly look for more than just statistics when making their decisions, will find this type of display appealing.

And that may be the difference between what I was experiencing more than ten years ago and what is currently a matter of merit. It is much more exciting now.

In the domestic game, I see bowlers who possess the necessary skills to play internationally. Both Sonny Baker and John Turner are from Hampshire (even though Turner has been on loan at Lancashire), and England has recognized them despite having hardly any first-class cricket behind them.

Baker, Turner, and others with the skills to trouble the best batters are aware that a single performance, even one spell, could get them a call-up. It has precedent already, too. Shoaib Bashir, an off-spinner, was first seen in a clip on social media, and Stokes later shared it with Key and McCullum in a WhatsApp group. Bashir joined the England squad not long afterward.

England’s attitude toward franchise cricket, particularly the Indian Premier League (IPL), has changed significantly since my time as an international cricketer.

Players now understand that they have a lot of power and cannot be denied lucrative franchise opportunities. Who is to blame for this, players? After all, it might be a short career.

This is different from the 2013 IPL auction when I originally wanted to put my name forward. I believed I had a good chance of being picked up. I had good luck getting good players out of a white-ball series in India, bowled quickly, and just had a good T20 World Cup.

We won 2-1 on the famous Test tour of India at the end of 2012. I requested permission from the England and Wales Cricket Board before entering the auction, and within five minutes of submitting my forms, an email from the head coach, Andy Flower, had replied to my request.

I was having room service that evening in Kevin Pietersen’s bedroom, along with Eoin Morgan, who had just become the first England player to recognize the strength of the IPL. When I was summoned to see Flower, KP informed me that I was entering the auction, regardless of whether he liked it or not as I was walking out of the door.

We had a quick chat with Flower. He advised me that I must start playing county cricket in the summer of the following year in order to prepare for Test matches in the offseason. I followed what was instructed. I would have done anything to join that England team, and Test cricket was my pinnacle.

The times have changed. How exciting must it be to play cricket for the first time in international competition.