Lamine Yamal: Record-breaking teenager set to light up El Clasico?
Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal is enjoying a breakthrough season.
There have, of course, been no shortage of superstars to emerge from Barcelona’s famous La Masia academy.
Xavi, Sergio Busquets, Andres Iniesta, Carles Puyol, Cesc Fabregas, and, of course Lionel Messi, to name a few, while Gavi, at 19, has already established himself as a key player for both club and country.
And in the form of Lamine Yamal, there’s a feeling the next big thing has arrived.
Since making his first senior appearance, the 16-year-old has set record after record for Barca and Spain alike. Ahead of El Clasico, More Than A Game guest contributor Jon Shea takes a look at the Blaugrana’s latest star boy.
BARCA AND SPAIN’S NEW SENSATION
Born in 2007, Lamal is just out of school, but he is already making a mark on Xavi’s Barcelona team. When he made his debut for the Catalan giants towards the end of last season, coming on as a substitute against Real Betis in LaLiga, he became the youngest player to ever make a first-team appearance for the club.
In Barcelona’s second game of this season, against Cadiz in August, Yamal sent another record tumbling; this time becoming the youngest starter in the history of the 27-time Spanish champions, aged 16 years and 38 days. He went on to impress, earning himself a standing ovation when he was subbed off with five minutes to go.
If the excitement surrounding Yamal was palpable, then it came bubbling to the surface in Barcelona’s 4-3 win over Villarreal a week later, as he claimed the man of the match award following a significant contribution to the Blaugrana’s victory. Yamal set up the opening goal for fellow Masia graduate Gavi. In the process, he became the youngest player to provide an assist in a La Liga match.
There was another first to follow, with Yamal scooping the inaugural LaLiga Under-23 Player of the Month award for his performances in August.
When he featured in Barca’s 5-0 thrashing of Royal Antwerp in the Champions League in September, Yamal was the second-youngest player — behind Borussia Dortmund’s Youssoufa Moukoko — to make an appearance in Europe’s top competition.
More history beckoned, though. Yamal (aged 16 years and 83 days) became the youngest player to start a Champions League match when he appeared in Xavi’s XI for Barca’s clash with Porto. The record had stood for close to 30 years
Barca were quick to get Yamal onto a new and improved contract in early October, keeping him at the club until the end of the 2025-26 season.
A versatile forward with an eye for creativity, Yamal helped himself to his first Barca goal in the 2-2 draw with Granada before the international break, toeing the ball in from close range and making him the club’s youngest LaLiga scorer in their history — a record that was previously shared by Fabrice Olinga and Ansu Fati.
With Fati spending the season out on loan at Brighton and Hove Albion as he looks to rekindle his form after an injury-hit few seasons, there’s no doubt that Yamal could well grab the chance to stake his claim this campaign.
It’s not just for his club that Yamal has been shining, with the youngest having made a dream international debut in September when he became the youngest player and goalscorer in the history of the Spanish national team, as he grabbed La Roja’s final goal in a 7-1 win over Georgia. He was just 16 years and 57 days old.
Just in case that was not enough, he then became the youngest player to score in a European Championships qualifier, breaking Gareth Bale’s record, which had stood since before Yamal was born.
The promise Yamal is showing is frightening, yet perhaps his biggest strength is his fearlessness — a trait that often comes with youth. Barca boss Xavi is eager to blood youngsters, with Marc Guiu, Barca’s matchwinner against Athletic Bilbao last time out, the latest teen to be handed a chance, and Luis de la Fuente wasted little time in getting Yamal involved for the national team.
With El Classico on the horizon this weekend, Yamal will almost certainly be dreaming of making an impact in the biggest fixture in Spanish football. He has also taken to the big stage like a duck to water, and you would not bet against him making more history against Real Madrid.
By Jon Shea