Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard believes Lamine Yamal is already more advanced than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were at 19, but has identified the major challenge that could determine whether the Barcelona youngster eventually matches their extraordinary achievements.

The former England captain has been hugely impressed by Yamal's development, describing the Spanish international as a player capable of reaching the level established by two of football's greatest names.

However, Gerrard believes maintaining the hunger to win throughout a long career will be just as important as the teenager's natural ability.

He has also questioned whether Yamal may eventually need to move into a central attacking role to approach the remarkable goalscoring records accumulated by Messi and Ronaldo.

Speaking on The Overlap Daily, Gerrard drew on his own experience of facing both players during their early years to explain why he considers Barcelona's latest academy graduate such an exceptional prospect.

Steven Gerrard places Lamine Yamal ahead of teenage Messi and Ronaldo

Gerrard, who faced Ronaldo during the Portuguese forward's Manchester United career and encountered Messi in European competition, believes Yamal has reached an unusually advanced stage of development for his age.

"He's more advanced than Ronaldo was at 19," Gerrard said.

The former Liverpool midfielder also suggested that Yamal was further along in his development than Messi had been at the same stage, while acknowledging the challenge of sustaining that progress.

His assessment reflects the enormous impact Yamal has already made since breaking into Barcelona's first team in April 2023.

The Spain international, who celebrated his 19th birthday in July, has established himself as a central figure in Hansi Flick's attack despite continuing to operate predominantly from the right wing.

Yamal has registered 13 goals and 12 assists in 16 appearances across all competitions during the 2026-27 campaign, maintaining an extraordinary level of productivity for a player still in his teenage years.

His development has been accompanied by major international success, having helped Spain win Euro 2024 before adding the 2026 World Cup to his honours.

The winger has also finished second and third in the last two Ballon d'Or rankings, recognition of the influence he has already established at the highest level.

By comparison, Messi was still developing into a regular goalscorer during his teenage years at Barcelona, while Ronaldo's early seasons at Manchester United were defined more by his dribbling and individual creativity than the prolific finishing that would later characterise his career.

Ronaldo scored nine goals in 50 appearances during the 2004-05 campaign, a season in which he turned 20.

Yamal had already surpassed that figure at 17, scoring 18 times for Barcelona in 2024-25.

Yet Gerrard is reluctant to conclude that the Spaniard's remarkable start guarantees a career comparable to either of those legends.

Gerrard identifies the challenge that could define Yamal's Barcelona career

For Gerrard, the central question concerns whether Yamal can retain the same ambition and consistency over the next decade.

The former Liverpool captain believes Barcelona's coaching staff and the people closest to the youngster will have a crucial role in keeping him motivated after such an extraordinary start to his career.

"The biggest challenge for him - and those around him at Barcelona - is how they keep him hungry?" Gerrard asked.

He believes Yamal must continue pursuing collective trophies and individual recognition even as success becomes a familiar part of his career.

The difficulty is particularly significant given the standards established by Messi and Ronaldo, whose greatest achievements were built upon sustained performances over many seasons.

Both players also developed into exceptional goalscorers after initially establishing themselves in wider attacking positions.

Gerrard therefore raised the possibility that Yamal's long-term evolution could involve a similar positional adjustment.

The 19-year-old is currently most influential when starting from the right, where his close control, ability to eliminate defenders and vision allow him to create opportunities for teammates.

Moving into a central position could theoretically increase his goalscoring opportunities, although Gerrard presented the idea as a possibility for later in his career rather than an immediate recommendation to Flick.

Yamal's existing production suggests that he does not need such a change to contribute heavily in front of goal.

His 25 direct goal involvements this season also underline why he continues to attract comparisons with Messi, whose development at Barcelona remains an obvious reference point.

Gerrard's comments follow those of former Barcelona loanee Marcus Rashford, who recently identified Yamal as the closest player he had encountered to Messi's level.

The Manchester United forward, who spent the 2025-26 season alongside Yamal, also expressed his belief in the youngster's potential to compete for multiple Ballon d'Or awards.

Gerrard shares that admiration, but his comparison carries an important qualification: Yamal may be ahead of Messi and Ronaldo at 19, yet matching what they achieved over the course of their careers will demand a level of consistency that remains impossible to judge at such an early stage.