Biomechanics explains why Lamin Yamal will never become Leo Messi | Relief

The appearance of Lamin Yamal from the first day has been compared to the appearance of Leo Messi. By profile, moment – Gamper’s final appearance – and talent.. Their game has a lot in common. When it comes to starting on the right, Lamine has even scored a few goals – Montilivi, France – which could well have been signed by the Argentine. And yet, are they as similar from a football point of view as it seems at first glance?

Nine days ago, Lamine scored his first Clasico goal and became the youngest player to do so. Another record for him. Without giving a great performance and without being a little hasty at times, showed that it takes very little to be differential. With a high and strong kick from his right foot, he beat Lunin and returned the game to the right direction. Two days later he went to Paris for the Ballon d’Or ceremony, where he was presented with the 2024 Copa trophy. All this for his goals and his performance, secrets that can be explained. And biomechanics is a tool that allows us to shed light on the Lamin phenomenon.

Alejandro Baio is a sports podiatrist who has focused his career on biomechanics, the way footprints affect the rest of the body. He treats professional football players and athletes from other disciplines. In his opinion, “there are more differences than similarities.”. First of all, because of the cadence. Lamine is much taller than Messi. And secondly, because his higher center of gravity allows him to throw shots that may seem the same, but are actually different.

“The first difference is race.. Messi is very measured, takes short steps. And he has the ability in his game to take three steps and shoot, he does it almost always the same way,” Baio explains. “He makes small touches, which means he can put his foot down quickly, which your center of gravity is very low. This is his great dignity. It is hidden below the others,” the expert continues. An example would be the goal at the Bernabeu in the Champions League. “Messi can make 28 touches in a game, while another can make 20”– notes Baio.

The lamin is about four inches taller. “He’s very fast, but the center of gravity can’t lower him that much. He has the gait of a runner, Messi will never have that.. In terms of top speed, he can reach the same speed as Messi but at a lower cadence. Taking longer steps,” the expert clarifies. “He’s more Neymar or Henry than Messi,” he explains.

Messi’s shots like Curry’s threes

When Messi made his debut for Barça, Lamine was about four years away from being born. Over the course of his career, Leo has turned the front kick into one of his most repetitive moves. “When Leo shoots, he does not look at the goalkeeper, but looks at the ball until it goes into the goal.. And he learns it (he has elastic memory). He’s like Curry: he has three-pointers, and just by the way they come out of his hands, you know they’re going to go in,” Bayo said. “When he shoots, his legs form a V, he gets under the ball. . This helps you achieve two effects: spin on the ball and the lift you want.“he adds.

“Lamin has a similar technique, but since he is taller and has a higher center of gravity, Messi can shoot by bending his supporting knee, while Lamine has to stretch it further.longer. There, the rotation gesture is very similar,” Boya explains. “On a technical and biomechanical level, due to the length, Lamin cannot bend his body as much and I can’t give the ball that much spin“, he explains.

Lamine, according to Bayo, “catches the ball from below.”. “This results in a turn where as he completes the turn, the ball drops. This comes from his hip. He has a great ability to get his hip back and a great inward flexion,” he elaborates. The thread is not as “full” as Messi, but the ball drops more.

“Brand Messi” is the goal Lamin scored against Athletic earlier in the season. “Here he gets that “V” quite often. He makes a very good gesture and has another Messi characteristic. When kicking, the supporting leg makes a full rotation outward. When Messi finishes, he practically falls, and the slope drops dramatically. And he sprains his right foot slightly. This allows you to continue rotating your hips. That’s why his shot is so reliable,” explains the orthopedist. He adds that hip mobility can be trained.

For the expert, Lamin’s biomechanics remind him of Neymar’s..

Messi’s biomechanics have changed throughout his career. “By putting on muscle because he had the quality, he made his game more consistent.. It has a very complex mechanical structure,” says Bayo. One of the reasons is the presence of muscles with white fibers, so when the limb is straightened, the muscle also “arrives.”

This is where “invisible rest” comes into play: nutrition, rest, gym… “Lamin seems more energetic than a year ago. At the biomechanical level Messi is pure strength and stability. Lamin has become more athletic and will become more and more athletic.“, he concludes.