A real recital. The performance of Lamine Yamal, the new nugget of Barça, against Villarreal (3-4), Sunday, is in all the conversations of Spanish supporters this Monday morning. Named man of the match at the end of the meeting at only 16 years old, the youngster from La Masia, barely three games in La Liga, including two in the shoes of a holder, allowed the Catalans to get out of a a very bad situation.
In the absence of Pedri, Yamal was first decisive passer on the opener for Gavi. Then it was one of his brilliant actions that allowed Barça to make the difference: a devastating jerk on the right side of the yellow defense and a violent strike on the post, taken up by Robert Lewandowski at the 2nd post. The goal of the Barcelona victory. With 92.5% of successful passes, this teenager who evolves with number 10 in the Spanish youth selection is already precise like a Swiss clock.
“He does not start as a starter on the whim of the coach, we see him capable of making the difference, it is the most important thing in football, his decision-making is almost always the right one”, dropped in a press conference. post-match a spellbound Xavi. Gifted with both feet, the young prodigy is put forward by his club, which seeks to compensate for the departure of Ousmane Dembélé to Paris Saint-Germain, but also by La Liga, orphan of the stars who made him famous during the last decade, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo or even Karim Benzema.
“Lamine played a great game again, he helped us a lot,” Xavi said on Movistar+. “He was behind two goals and he created a lot at 16,” he was also satisfied.
“He is a player similar to Lionel Messi”
His professional debut dates back to April 29, 2023. He then came on in the 83rd minute replacing Gavi against Real Betis in the league, becoming the youngest player in the club’s history to make his professional debut in La Liga. age of 15 years, 9 months and 16 days.
Already, his trainer was full of praise. “He was very good. I told him to try things, and he did. At 15, he is already a special player, he knows how to score, make passes, he has shown character… And when you see him in training, you realize that he can be important, ”he said. “He’s a player similar to Lionel Messi or Ansu Fati. He has this innate talent in the last quarter of the field. He doesn’t look like he’s 15, he’s more mature than his age. He only played ten minutes, but he was good. He can leave his mark on this team, ”said the Catalan technician.
Possessing triple Spanish, Equatorial Guinean and Moroccan nationality, the player has the opportunity to play for one of the three selections in A. Morocco is already in contact with the player with almost three million Instagram subscribers to convince him to join the Atlas Lions, semi-finalists of the last World Cup.
Currently, he plays with Spain under 19, with whom he started at the age of 15! There is no doubt that Barça will want to preserve its nugget in the coming months and would prefer to see it remain under the colors of La Roja. A little hint about his potential, Jorge Mendes, Cristiano Ronaldo’s ex-agent, officially became his new agent at the end of last season…
