Marcus Thuram has expressed his opinion that Lamine Yamal is not the world’s top player, placing him behind French teammates Ousmane Dembele and Kylian Mbappe.
Thuram’s comments came after facing Yamal in a thrilling 3-3 draw between Barcelona and Inter during their Champions League semi-final first leg. Thuram made history by scoring the fastest goal at this stage of the competition, netting after just 30 seconds.
In that match, Yamal played a crucial role in Barcelona’s comeback, marking his 100th club appearance with a remarkable solo goal. At 17 years and 291 days old, he became the youngest scorer in a Champions League semi-final, surpassing Mbappe’s previous record set at 18 years and 140 days. Additionally, Yamal joined Mbappe as only the second teenager to score in the last 16, quarter-final, and semi-final of a single Champions League campaign.
Despite Yamal’s impressive performance against Inter, Simone Inzaghi noted he hadn’t seen such talent in nearly a decade. However, Thuram remained unconvinced by the young player’s abilities. When asked by Canal+ if Yamal is currently the best player globally due to his recent performances, Thuram replied, “No, he’s not. The best player in the world is French. And the second is also French. Ousmane and Kylian. Yamal is maybe third.”
Yamal has been instrumental for Barcelona this season, scoring 15 goals and providing 24 assists as they chase a treble. Meanwhile, Dembele is having an outstanding season with Paris Saint-Germain. His goal against Arsenal gave PSG a 1-0 advantage at halftime in their Champions League semi-final. Only Robert Lewandowski (40), Harry Kane (36), and Mbappe (34) have scored more goals across Europe’s top five leagues than Dembele’s 33 this season.
Mbappe had a challenging start to his debut season with Real Madrid but has still managed to impress by scoring 34 goals across all competitions. He now holds the record for the second-most goals scored by a Madrid player in their debut season and aims to match or surpass Ivan Zamorano’s record of 37 before the season concludes.
The ongoing debate about who ranks as the world’s best player continues among football enthusiasts. While Yamal has shown exceptional talent at such a young age, Thuram believes that Dembele and Mbappe currently hold higher positions on this list due to their consistent performances.