That Barcelona and Spain attacker Lamine Yamal has amassed a total of 100 goals and assists for his club and national team while still in his teens is, without exaggeration, a minor sporting marvel.
At precisely the same age (18 years and seven months), the sport’s two prominent modern figures (with one widely considered the greatest ever), Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, had merely five and four goal involvements for their respective teams and nations. Conversely, Yamal holds a 60-point lead over where Real Madrid and France attacker Kylian Mbappé stood at an equivalent stage of his youth.
Pause to reflect on that for a moment.
This imaginative, audacious, innovative, and technically superb young talent, hailing from a modest upbringing, outpaces by no less than 95 goal involvements the sport’s two titans, Messi and Ronaldo, and is widening this comparable margin weekly. Remarkably, he achieves this despite enduring a debilitating groin injury for months, an ailment that ought to be severely impeding his progress, or forcing him onto the bench — as has been the case for Nico Williams at Athletic Club.
Yet, currently, Yamal appears impervious to pain, unaffected by comparisons to Messi/Ronaldo, and unswayed by the potentially corrupting influence of immense riches and early career accolades.
Beyond the raw numbers, we’ve already ascertained several undeniable truths about Yamal; chiefly, that he exhibits the same intrinsic, fierce, unyielding competitive drive that fueled, and continues to fuel, Messi.
Without diminishing Ronaldo’s achievements in any respect — given his supreme desire to triumph and his exceptional competitive spirit — a distinct aspect of his character, perhaps his ego, compels him to seek recognition as the paramount individual player. I have personally witnessed him articulate this sentiment.
However, neither Messi nor Yamal are propelled by such an individualistic, self-centered facet of human disposition. Their persistent imperative is: “Give me the ball, give me an opponent, let me thrill, let me beat him, let me score or assist and let us win.”
“Us” … that’s the key.
The fact that we are observing a remarkable replica of Messi, who already surpasses equivalent statistical benchmarks, is, truly, a kind of marvel. One need not be a Barcelona enthusiast or a follower of Spanish football to feel profoundly moved by the rare opportunity of seeing another prodigy surface in such close succession to Messi.
Undeniably, our world is fraught with conflict, peril, and unpredictability. It is not a mere diversion to seek out something joyful, something organic, unadulterated, inspiring, and which bestows upon us moments of elation, even if fleeting for the duration of a match. Such is the essence of human experience.
The brilliant treble Yamal notched on Saturday against Villarreal at home, his inaugural career hat-trick, reaffirms the vast disparity between him and his two formidable predecessors at a comparable stage of life. Yamal is more than a year younger than Messi was when he accomplished the same achievement against Real Madrid in March 2007, and surpassed Ronaldo by over four years, who recorded his at almost 23 for Manchester United against Newcastle in 2008.
However, this was more than merely his first triple; these goals exhibited progressively breathtaking brilliance.
To many, the standout was the second, where Yamal commenced from an ostensibly unthreatening position and gracefully glided past all his adversaries, akin to a footballing Rudolf Nureyev, before unleashing a powerful strike with his left foot past goalkeeper Luis Reis Junior. Yet, in my estimation, the third goal proved the most captivating; the precision of his movement, his astute choices, and his intelligent finishing, unreliant solely on brute force, were particularly remarkable.
Yamal’s “street-style” ball control, operating centrally rather than hugging the wing, and concurrently performing as a primary forward, are attributes that could propel him into the pantheon of all-time legends if his progression persists. Should he further cultivate elite sharpness within the penalty area — demonstrating a more refined scoring instinct — then we might very well witness the emergence of yet another enduring legend.
However, certain impediments invariably lie ahead.
If he embodies a minor footballing marvel, as I am convinced he does, then that is precisely the kind of extraordinary intervention Barcelona will need on Tuesday to somehow reverse a four-goal disadvantage in the Copa del Rey semifinal’s second leg at Camp Nou.
Indeed, it is common knowledge that Barcelona boasts the most astounding comeback in European football annals — after trailing Paris 4-0 before rallying to secure a 6-1 victory in the 2017 Champions League — and perhaps it is serendipitous that the protagonists of that evening were Yamal’s two lifelong idols, Messi and Neymar. However, that was a landmark accomplishment that garnered immense attention precisely because such occurrences are rare.
During the previous encounter between Barcelona and Atleti in the Catalan capital for the Copa del Rey, Barcelona certainly found the net four times … yet they simultaneously allowed four goals.
To date, Yamal’s performance against Atleti has been solid, though not spectacular: Seven matches, five wins, one draw, one defeat, with only a single goal scored.
The unequivocally clear reality is that while an exhibition of exceptional team strength and rigor will be necessary to even contend for a comeback in the tie on Tuesday, Barça will unquestionably necessitate some divine, miraculous intervention.
And although midfielder Pedri possesses some of that ingenuity in his intellect and his footwear, the principal catalyst remains Yamal.
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Hansi Flick praises ‘exceptional’ Lamine Yamal performance vs. Villarreal
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has praised Lamine Yamal’s performance against Villarreal after the 18 year old become the youngest player to score a LaLiga hat-trick this century.
Nonetheless, his club places immense demands upon him. Even though this season has seen him contend with an injury and face aggressive double and triple marking from opponents, his combined tally of goals and assists across all tournaments stands at 32 in 34 appearances.
This is nothing short of astounding.
Following the Villarreal match, he confessed: “Over the last few months I haven’t been enjoying myself as much, the groin pain was part of that, I think all that was pretty evident. But for about a week now there’s been a click — things feel better and I’ve got the urge to smile again while I’m playing, which is something I’d lost for a while!”
To date, I have conducted five or six interviews with Yamal — two of which were substantive, extended, and engaging discussions — and these encounters imparted the following insights:
Generally, he exhibits a resilient mentality, remarkable intelligence, and a keen awareness of the aptitude, obligations, and prospects that have presented themselves to him. I genuinely believe a significant component of his exceptional character stems from how seamlessly his acute, disciplined intellect — which displays maturity far exceeding his years in footballing contexts — converges with his innate abilities.
However, in certain aspects, he remains a child who adores his younger sibling and who, following the Villarreal match, sought out the loving embrace of his mother on the touchline.
Among his initial disclosures to me two years prior was the anecdote that when, at the tender age of four or five, his father and uncles positioned him in goal during their Rocafonda park matches, he perceived their intentional treatment of him as an equal, mercilessly launching shots that struck him in the face. He recounted that, in that very moment, he vowed to accelerate his progress and hone his skills to play in an outfield position, ensuring the subsequent newcomer to their customary game would be relegated to goalkeeping duties instead.
Unyieldingly resolute: eschew grievances, achieve victory.
Barcelona’s reliance on him to perform spectacularly on Tuesday against Atletico is acceptable: for he is prepared, eager, and capable. However, the necessity for Barça to have him shoulder their burdens weekly since August, to the extent that, at 18, he felt neither contentment nor pleasure in his profession, is not.
I trust that individuals within their organization were observing: Yamal is not solely their asset; he belongs to all globally who seek inspiration from football. He bestows upon us excitement, happiness, and optimism. And that, unequivocally, is an invaluable gift.