The Champions League final, where Doue had an excellent performance, sparked debates on the internet about who is the better youngster. People on the internet were claiming Desire Doue was better than Lamine Yamal because he had two goals and an assist in the final. Lamine Yamal had the chance to prove everyone wrong and regain his status as the best youngster in the world. Spain clashed with France in the UEFA Nations League semifinal, where Lamine Yamal and Desire Doue both starred for their national team.
Desire Doue’s performance:
The 18-year-old French wonder kid had a decent game but failed to influence the game enough. With only 1/6 successful dribbles, Doue lost the most duels in the match (11). The youngster had only 21 successful passes out of 27 attempts as his link-up play was weak. The youngster did manage to get 3 shots away, but most of them were straight into the hands of Unai Simón. Doue was not successful in creating a lot of chances for his teammates either, and was dispossessed four times. Didier Deschamps took Doue off the pitch in the 63rd minute to bring on Barcola instead, who didn’t enjoy much success either.
Lamine Yamal’s masterclass
Lamine Yamal was the man of the match with a 9.7 rating on Sofascore. The youngster looked dangerous every time he was on the ball and a nightmare for Theo Hernandez. Lamine Yamal created 3 chances and 1 big chance, delivering dangerous passes into the box. He was fundamental in Spain’s first goal as he slid a dangerous pass to Oyarzabal, who set up Nico Williams to smash it past Maignan. Spain’s golden boy won a penalty for his side in the 53rd minute, which he coolly converted to score the 3rd goal for Spain. 13 minutes later, Lamine grabbed another goal as Pedro Porro chips a pass over the defense and into his path. The youngster took a touch before rolling it past Maignan to make it 5-1 for Spain.
Lamine Yamal can now take a step further than Dembele in the Ballon d’Or race if he beats Ronaldo’s Portugal in the final.
Another one joins the long list
Desire Doue joins the long list of youngsters who were compared to Lamine Yamal, particularly by Real Madrid fans. From Endrick to Arda Guler to Nwaneri to Desire Doue, a lot of youngsters fell against him. There is a phrase circulating on the internet that sums it up: “A lot of players are better than Yamal unless they have to play against Yamal”. Desire Doue is a promising talent who’s exciting to watch and a future star. However, comparing him to Lamine only makes him look bad because Barca’s starboy is something football history hasn’t witnessed after the likes of Pele.
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