According to a report by Barca Universal on Tuesday November 10, 2026, Steven Gerrard believes Lamine Yamal is already ahead of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo at the same age.

The Liverpool legend has backed the Barcelona youngster to reach the heights achieved by the two icons if he continues developing.

Yamal has remained influential for Barcelona despite missing out on the Ballon d’Or again this year. The Spanish forward has been among Europe’s leading creators and has played a major role in his team’s strong start to the campaign.

Speaking on The Overlap podcast, Gerrard compared Yamal’s progress with the early careers of Messi and Ronaldo. He believes the teenager is further advanced than both legends were at a similar stage.

Gerrard acknowledged that Yamal has not reached the level Messi and Ronaldo displayed during their peak years. However, he feels the Barcelona attacker has the potential to get there. He also placed Yamal above young talents such as Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland in terms of potential.

The former Liverpool captain recalled sharing a hug with Yamal during the Aston Villa match. He described it as a lovely moment before highlighting the challenge of keeping the youngster motivated throughout his career.

Gerrard stressed that Barcelona’s coaches and those responsible for Yamal’s development must create the right environment. He believes they need to keep the winger hungry for team honours and individual awards.

He added that Yamal is producing performances rarely seen from a player of his age. Gerrard also questioned why the teenager would leave Barcelona, given the club’s regular pursuit of La Liga and Champions League titles.

The Englishman revealed that he had known Yamal since the winger played against his Under-18 and Under-19 teams. He recalled that Yamal and Curtis Jones were regularly the best players on the pitch.