Tanzania, April 21 -- Madrid. Lamine Yamal has underlined the influence of Lionel Messi after being named the world's best young athlete at the Laureus World Sports Awards, capping a remarkable rise for the 18-year-old Barcelona forward.

The Spain international received the Young Sportsperson of the Year award at the ceremony in Madrid, adding to a growing list of individual honours that already includes the 2025 Kopa Trophy and last year's Laureus Breakthrough award.

Speaking after the ceremony, Yamal used the moment to pay tribute to Messi, widely regarded as Barcelona's greatest-ever player and the benchmark for generations of footballers. He described the Argentine as "the best footballer in history" and said his ambition is to foll...