FC Barcelona has produced yet another talent from La Masia who is already breaking records: Lamine Yamal. The young forward has become a key player under manager Hansi Flick, helping the club pursue its goals this season. This Monday, he reaches the same debut age as Lionel Messi when he first appeared for the Catalan club. How do these two prodigies compare in their early years with Barcelona?
Twenty years ago, Messi’s legendary journey at Barcelona began with a match against Espanyol, where he joined stars like Ronaldinho, Deco, and Rafa Márquez in the lineup.
Today, at 17 years and 114 days, Yamal has already set numerous La Liga records, including becoming the youngest player to start for a Spanish team (at 16 years and 38 days) and the youngest scorer of the 21st century in Spain (16 years and 87 days).
In addition to these age-related achievements, Yamal has already won two trophies—one with Barcelona and one with Spain. His individual accolades include the Kopa Trophy, the Globe Soccer Award for Emerging Player, Tuttosport’s Youngest Award, and UEFA Euro’s Goal of the Tournament, among others.
Lamine Yamal celebrates Barcelona’s third goal against Real Madrid.
Comparing Yamal’s early numbers with Messi
While Yamal has established impressive stats, his early numbers differ from Messi’s first 66 games with Barcelona. Yamal has recorded 13 goals and 17 assists across all competitions, while Messi, in his initial run, scored 19 goals with 7 assists. Notably, Messi took several years to reach these numbers, while Yamal achieved them in just over a year and a half.
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Not even Messi could achieve it: Yamal's record-breaking performance for Barcelona vs Real Madrid
Another difference lies in playing time. Messi reached his early milestones with 3,761 minutes on the field, while Yamal has logged 4,181 minutes over 66 matches to amass his current stats.
Messi’s early awards with Barcelona and Argentina
While Yamal has collected numerous personal accolades, Messi’s awards in his early career set a high benchmark. In 2005, Messi won both the Golden Ball and Golden Boot at the U-20 World Cup. He was also named Argentina’s Footballer of the Year twice (2005 and 2007) and included in the FIFA FIFPro World XI in 2007.
Additionally, Messi had already won multiple titles with Barcelona by the time he reached his 66th game. He lifted the La Liga trophy twice, the Spanish Super Cup once, the UEFA Champions League once, and claimed the FIFA World Youth Championship with Argentina.
Despite their unique paths, both Yamal and Messi are vital figures in Barcelona’s history, cherished by fans around the world. While it remains to be seen if Yamal can surpass Messi’s achievements, his legacy in Catalonia is already taking shape.
