I don't know if I'm underestimating Neymar or SA but I don't remember Neymar being anywhere near as good as Lamine Yamal at 18
Even Messi wasn't as good, either (though the caveat here is that he very obviously just needed enough reps to develop his skillset and then he'd become Maradona Mk 2)
Only 18 year old I've seen comparable to his level was Ronaldo
For me at this point.
Many are underrating Neymar.
Same with Messi.
PD: As a side note, Messi always looked to me like some Zico MK2 with a V12.
In terms of actually
see the player and the exposure, I can get that, but historically like the mentioned R9, he is not alone there, there have been a number of really special players at these ages (from 16 to 20).
The age thing it's sthg that has been a tad overplayed, even nowadays even in an strict age sense, at times he is talked like he's still 16 while he is a couple of months to be 19.
On that general sense of being among 16 to 20, in other periods of the game, other extraordinary players couldn't get such exposure due to multiple reasons (and I'm thinking from Pele, Di Stefano, Sivori to even more recent normal fellas like Aguero at 16). The reasons are varied, from not being a global world, to not be be involved in a huge team in disarray that forces your incoporporation, and a large etc.
On the other hand the capability of Yamal to seize that oportunity in such form it's clearly not overlooked and shouldn't, the fvcker it's fantastic and trully special, even if he retires tomorrow he already had a very good carreer.
Yet on the other hand, he already showed quite a number of bad games in terms of level and decision making (his best asset when he showed himself at first) that tend to be overlooked, that shouldn't even be necessary to be mentioned, since hell, any player has those and he is a kid. Yet since at this point it seems some people it's ready to jump in a narrative where if some injury ends his carreer tomorrow it's a shame because he would
have clearly become the best player ever without that injury, creates an scenario that perhaps those bad games should be more noticed.
Rather than ask if he will be another Messi, perhaps the more interesting question is
Will he go on to become Spains best ever player? That in itself would be an incredible feat.
To be the best ever player for any Nation with tradition it's an increidble feat (actually I'm not really that fond of these ONLY ONE BEST stuff on any sport). Yet playing this GOAT game, he has a better chance to be consider that due to in part his current almost impecable timing, yet MOSTLY because of his BIOTYPE, role and style.
I feel he won't need for many people to have the succees of Xavi and such had in terms of titles to be considered the best.
Spain has not been prone to create this type of players in a GOAT alike version. The closer for them is Luis Suarez, that could be argue was in such Goat like type during his days (quite forgotten and underrated player), other el Buitre (fantastic player from the 80's, that deserves more recognition too) yet on a lesser level than Luis and finally in a more secondary role, without the pace, without the power required in this echelon and the level of ability required to operate in such pace, the wonderful Iniesta.
So the thing that plays a big part of him in the future if he continues to have a great carreer to be considered in such realm would be his characteristics as a player, way more in a country that does not tend to produce that type historically.
