Romario didn't need time to think. Asked to pick between Vinicius Jr and Lamine Yamal, the Brazilian legend went straight for the Barcelona teenager: "Between Vinicius and Lamine, I'd choose Lamine."
Coming from a man who won the World Cup and scored at will for Barcelona in the early 90s, that's not a throwaway compliment. Romario knows what elite looks like up close.
He expanded in an interview with Iker Casillas, explaining exactly why Yamal stands out: "He plays for a great club, his teammates respect him, his technique sets him apart, and on top of that, he knows how to score goals." At 17, Yamal already has the trust of a dressing room full of internationals. That's rare. That's also why his odds to win the Ballon d'Or before he turns 21 keep shortening.
The Cruyff fallout that ended his Barcelona spell early
Romario also revisited his own time at the club — a chapter that started with promise and ended in friction. He signed a three-year deal in 1993, won a league title in his first season, then returned 20 days late after the 1994 World Cup. He told Cruyff upfront he'd be late. Cruyff told him to come back on a specific date, talk to the squad, then return to Brazil. After that, according to Romario, "I had some issues with the team."
By January 1995, he was gone. Homesick, at odds with the setup, and done with European football. A complicated exit for a player who, at his peak, was unplayable.
He was generous about Cruyff's other legacy, though — specifically Pep Guardiola. "I never would have imagined he would become one of the best coaches in the world," Romario admitted, recalling a young Guardiola who absorbed everything Cruyff did on the training ground. That observation alone says something about how tactical intelligence develops over time.
His verdict on the current Barcelona side
On Hansi Flick's team, Romario is measured rather than effusive. He doesn't put them level with the Messi-Suárez-Neymar era, or his own generation. But he sees three players who can change a match on their own:
- Pedri — the creative engine in midfield
- Lamine Yamal — the match-winner on the right
- Raphinha — the catalyst who keeps defenses honest
"It's a team that has everything it needs to secure big wins and win the Champions League," he said. Whether that holds up through the knockout rounds remains the real question — but with Yamal getting this kind of backing from one of the game's sharpest strikers, the expectation around the Spotify Camp Nou isn't going away.
