New York, July 18 -- Argentina captain Lionel Messi praised Spain's teenage sensation Lamine Yamal ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 final, calling him an "amazing" player while saying Argentina will do everything possible to prevent him from achieving a historic milestone.

In a post shared by ESPN FC on X, Messi said he has closely followed Yamal's progress because of the youngster's performances for Barcelona, a club the Argentine legend represented for nearly two decades.

"Lamine is truly amazing, and I've followed him a lot because he plays for a club I love so much. He has a chance to achieve something historic, and we're going to try to make sure that doesn't happen this time," Messi said.

Defending champions Argentina secured a t...