There’s only one original, and it would be wiser for everyone else to avoid any comparisons. Especially in Barcelona, where we’ve heard countless stories of the “new Messi,” every single one born from fiction and unrealistic expectations. There was only one Lionel Messi, and if you had asked us this time last year how long we’d wait for a player like him to reappear, we’d probably say – forever. But in the meantime, another wunderkind has emerged, so quick, so talented, that almost immediately upon stepping onto the big stage, he earned the right not to be called by someone else’s name but to make everyone remember – Lamine Yamal. The young man who amazed us at the European Championship is already responsible for the most gasps at Camp Nou and is undoubtedly the most valuable asset Barcelona has in its team.▪️ 5 goals ▪️ 7 assists Lamine Yamal has been involved in 12 goals in 12 La Liga games 🌟 pic.twitter.com/ItZ9PKOD1n— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 3, 2024 And here, we must pause and make a comparison to Messi. Because of everything Yamal has done so far – he did even before Messi debuted for the first team of the Blaugrana. Messi did that at 6,324 days old; granted, he had a somewhat tougher path, as Barça didn’t then have the financial problems that today, no matter what they say, force them to throw young players from La Masia into the fire. Yamal is only now living his 6,324th day on this planet. Curiously, he just played against Espanyol yesterday, the same rival against whom Messi debuted on October 16, 2004.The city rivals are not spared either! Barca crush EspanyolLamine Yamal did it as a 15-year-old. He was exactly 15 years, nine months, and 16 days old when he debuted on April 29, 2023, in the match between Barcelona and Betis. And he hasn’t stopped since. He’s the youngest scorer in Barcelona’s first team (16 years and 87 days), the youngest in La Liga, the youngest in the Copa del Rey (16 years and 195 days), and the youngest in the Spanish Super Cup (16 years and 182 days). He’s the second youngest in the Champions League, with only Ansu Fati still ahead. But Yamal is the youngest scorer in El Clásico against Real Madrid (17 years, 105 days).##NAJAVA_MECA_8466551##In a little over a year since his debut, Yamal has already played 66 matches for Barcelona, scored 13 goals, and set up 16 more. He has a La Liga trophy, a European Championship title with Spain, and the award for the best young player of the continental competition. In the national team jersey, he has played 17 matches, scored three goals – including one against France in the Euro semifinals – and added eight assists. Just a week ago, he also won the Kopa Trophy as the world’s best young footballer for 2024. And all of this before Messi even made his debut.
