Laporta: Barcelona's success is not measured by titles, and this is what sets Yamal apart from Messi

Joan Laporta, the president of Barcelona, has confirmed that Lamine Yamal is a genius of a player who possesses exceptional technical abilities, noting that his maturity and understanding of football at such a young age make him an even more remarkable player.

Dutch newspaper "De Telegraaf" have published an interview with Laporta, who is in New York for the third edition of the Johan Cruyff tribute, set for Saturday in the American city.

Hosted by Sitges in its two previous editions, the event ties in with the tribute match for the Ajax and Barcelona legend. That game takes place on Sunday at the Johan Cruyff Arena, with legends of both clubs involved, marking the tenth anniversary of Cruyff's death.

The friendly in Amsterdam carries a charitable purpose. Its proceeds go to the Barcelona Foundation and the Johan Cruyff Foundation.

Speaking shortly before flying to New York, the Barcelona president reflected on the historical ties between the two clubs. He also tackled what he called an inevitable comparison between Cruyff, Messi and Lamine Yamal.

Laporta set out big ambitions for the club's goals, saying: "At Barcelona, our ambitions are always to fight for all titles, and these are expectations deeply rooted in our history and identity. Our goal is to remain in the competition race until the last moment in La Liga, the Champions League and the Copa del Rey."

"However, success is not measured by titles alone," he added. "The way we play is also of great importance. We want a team that reflects our footballing identity through attractive, attacking and brave football, so that our members and fans feel proud."

Developing young talents and promoting players from the La Masia academy are two essential criteria for the success of the club's project, Laporta argued, pointing to former and current stars Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal, both academy graduates.

The comparison between Messi, Lamine Yamal and Johan Cruyff is inevitable, Laporta reckoned, but he stressed that each man has his own distinctiveness and his own era.

He continued: "Each one of them is unique and belongs to a different era. Lionel left his mark on an entire generation, while Johan changed the history of football and Barcelona."

On Lamine Yamal, he added: "He deserves to be given the opportunity to write his own history and build his personal legacy. He is a genius and an extremely exceptional player, possessing astonishing technical potential, creativity and an exceptional ability to dribble past opponents and get beyond them. What makes him even more distinctive is his maturity and his understanding of the game at a very early age."

Such potential emerging from La Masia fills the Barcelona president with pride. Yamal, he explained, embodies the club's values, identity and footballing philosophy.

"We feel immense pride that a player of his level graduated from La Masia, and he represents the values, identity and footballing philosophy of Barcelona," he went on. "Our responsibility is to protect him and accompany him throughout his development, and to provide the appropriate sporting environment around him so that he can make the most of his immense potential."

He signed off his remarks about the player by saying: "As president of the club, I feel great pride in Lamine, both as a footballer and as a person."