A string of mazy runs down Barcelona’s right flank, two goal assists within three minutes, and a player of the match award cap off yet another impressive night in European football; Lamine Yamal continues to rack up remarkable statistics and mesmerising performances eight weeks into the club football season.
While this isn’t Yamal’s breakthrough year by any means – the Spanish forward first burst onto the scene as a ۱۶-year-old in the ۲۰۲۳-۲۴ season – his consistency for both club and country in the past eight weeks has led to comparisons with some of the greatest prodigies of recent years.
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Since returning from the FIFA World Cup as a champion, Yamal has enjoyed scintillating form with the Catalan side.
Across the eight match weeks in club football, the ۱۹-year-old has scored eight goals and provided nine assists in his ۱۰ matches in all competitions for Barcelona, bringing his total number of goal contributions to an impressive ۱۷.
All-time Barcelona and Argentina great Lionel Messi had ۱۴ goal contributions – eight goals and six assists – to his name in the ۲۰۰۸-۰۹ season, when he won his first Ballon d’Or award as a ۱۹-year-old.
Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal vs Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe
Yamal has made no secret of his desire to win the award in ۱۱ days, but he will face stiff competition from French star Kylian Mbappe and England captain Harry Kane.
Mbappe, who has broken goal-scoring records of his own, leads the attack at Real Madrid – Barcelona’s fiercest rivals and the undeniable kings of European football.
While Real have not won the Champions League since the ۲۰۲۳-۲۴ season, which brought their record-extending ۱۵th trophy, Mbappe helped them beat Italian giants Inter Milan in their first match last month.
Before joining Real in ۲۰۲۴, Mbappe was on a goal-scoring spree with French champions Paris Saint-Germain. He joined the club as an ۱۸-year-old in ۲۰۱۷ and enjoyed great success a year later.
As a then-۱۹-year-old, Mbappe scored ۱۲ goals and made four assists in his first ۱۰ games, bringing his goal contribution to ۱۶ – one behind Yamal’s current record after the same number of matches.
The master Messi vs apprentice Yamal?
While comparisons between Yamal’s overall career with Messi’s would be grossly unfair, the Spaniard is following in his club legend’s footsteps.
Both players enjoy the unique statistic of having scored braces in their first five La Liga games. Messi’s came as a ۲۵-year-old in the ۲۰۱۲-۱۳ season, while Yamal has achieved the same feat this season.
In April ۲۰۰۷, Messi scored his famous solo goal against Getafe, dribbling from his own half past five players as Camp Nou watched in awe.
Three months later, Lamine Yamal was born, and not long after, Messi was seen with baby Yamal in a photo that went viral this year.
The hype reached fever pitch during the World Cup as a young Messi bathed baby Yamal during a TV commercial. At first, many thought it was an AI-generated image, but it’s indeed real and dates back to ۲۰۰۷.
During a UNICEF fundraising shoot at Camp Nou stadium, a ۲۰-year-old Messi met Yamal, who was only five months old at the time.
The two Barcelona stars faced off in the World Cup final on July ۱۹, with the Argentinian walking away in tears as Yamal’s Spain lifted the trophy, but not before they exchanged a warm embrace.
Yamal later revealed what he said to Messi on the pitch in New York.
“I said thank you for everything you gave football,” Yamal told a British newspaper.
Before the final, much of the attention had centred on the battle between ۳۹-year-old Messi and ۱۹-year-old Yamal, with the match likened to a master vs apprentice clash.
Nineteen years on from that iconic photo, Yamal is already chasing Messi’s Barcelona milestones. Here’s how old each of them was when they played their ۱۵۰th game for the club.
Barcelona boss says ‘Everyone’s watching Lamine’
During the current season, Yamal’s incredible goal tally overshadows that of three other La Liga teams.
His seven individual goals in the league are more than what Valencia (six), Getafe (four) and Malaga (four) have managed as teams.
The forward’s form and skills are not lost on his manager, Hansi Flick.
The Barcelona boss heaped praise on his number ۱۰ after the ۴-۱ win over Galatasaray in Istanbul.
“When you see the chances Lamine creates in every training session, it’s the same in matches. I have a lot of top-quality players. Everyone’s watching Lamine – that’s only natural.”
“It’s incredible to have players like that; he’s turned the game around for us.”
