The Spain wonderkid has opened the new season in spectacular fashion, and the sky is the limit if he doesn't get carried away with his own hype
"Lamine is a difference-maker," Girona manager Michel said after watching the Barcelona forward torment his side in La Liga on Sunday. "For me, he is already one of the best players in the world at 17 years of age. It is difficult to imagine that after [Lionel] Messi another [like him] would come along, but I hope that Lamine keeps improving because he's a player who can reach that level."
Yamal scored his first away brace for Barcelona at Estadi Montilivi to help wrap up an impressive 4-1 victory, taking his tally for goal involvements at the start of the 2024-25 campaign to seven in three games – the second-best haul in Europe's top-five leagues behind Erling Haaland, and just two fewer than he managed in the whole of last season. That is not normal for a kid who only turned 17 in July.
It would have been natural for Yamal to suffer from burnout after playing a key role in Spain's run to the 2024 European Championship title, but he's just picked up from where he left off in Germany. Yamal is hitting heights that not even the great Messi could manage at the same age.
Only time will tell if Michel's words are to prove prophetic, but Barcelona are currently the best team in La Liga again, which is mostly down to Yamal's brilliance. And ahead of the Blaugrana's return to Champions League action, he's the main reason supporters are dreaming of continental glory for the first time since Messi's departure from the club.
Getty Images'Talent and pressure'
As good as Yamal was for Barca in his breakthrough year, he was clearly still a rough diamond. La Masia's academy graduate sparkled in fits and starts instead of delivering consistently in Xavi's possession-orientated system. However, Luis de la Fuente's tactical approach allowed Yamal to unleash the full scope of his talent at the Euros, and he's now doing the same at club level under Hansi Flick.
"The key has been to be direct. When we recover, we only think about scoring," Yamal told after the Girona win. That philosophy is reaping great rewards, as Barca have hit 17 goals in their opening five league games for the first time since 2017-18.
Girona deservedly beat Barca 4-2 home and away in 2023-24, but they were completely overpowered this time around. Yamal broke the deadlock on the half-hour mark with a composed first-time finish after picking the pocket of a Girona defender just outside the box, and doubled Barca's lead seven minutes later with a perfectly placed first-time shot from a loose ball. These goals looked simple, but only because of the supremely confident manner in which the teenager dispatched them.
Yamal now has the end product to match his crowd-pleasing skill and fearlessness on the ball. He's also grafting relentlessly off it, having won the ball back in the final third on eight occasions already this season – more than any other player in La Liga.
"I'm very happy about Lamine's two goals, he's very young but he's really incredible" Flick said to . "Having him is key for us not only because of his quality. but he also presses very well high. He combines talent and pressure and that's massive for us. He is outstanding."
Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesMeasuring up to an icon
Yamal has been billed as 'the next Messi' ever since his history-making debut for Barca in April 2023. Former Barcelona winger Isaac Cuenca, who now serves as technical director of the club's Aitana Bonmati Campus, bought into that hype after seeing Yamal in training for the very first time.
"We’ve all been compared to stars, and in the end, some make it further than others," Cuenca said to . "In Lamine Yamal’s case, I spoke with Xavi to go see a Barca training session. Xavi opened the doors for me, and I went to watch him. I said: ‘Okay, this is something else’. The comparisons are fair. He’s a very good player with a lot of potential. What he’s doing, what he did in the Euros with Spain, there’s not much more to say. Now what’s left for him is to enjoy, keep progressing, and, above all, for Barca to take care of him."
Bojan Krkic, Gerard Deulofeu, Giovani Dos Santos and most recently Ansu Fati were also backed to follow in Messi's footsteps after stepping into Barca's senior squad, but none of them were truly worthy of being mentioned in the same bracket. Yamal is different, though.
Realistically, there will never be another Messi, because he transcended the sport for the best part of two decades. But Yamal has earned the comparisons more than anyone else. They may not be accurate, but as Cuenca pointed out, they are now "fair".
GettyCarving out his own lane
Messi managed to stay at the top for so long partly because he seemed to be immune to pressure. Nothing ever seemed to faze the diminutive Argentine, and Yamal is cut from the same cloth.
"More than his technical talent, Lamine Yamal is very strong from a mental point of view," Barca sporting director Deco has said of the 17-year-old. "That is what sets him apart from the others. He doesn't feel the weight of representing Barca and the national team on the big stages. He would play for the best Barca teams in history."
The biggest compliment we could pay Yamal is that Deco's last line doesn't feel farfetched. It's easy to imagine him linking up with Messi in the same way the likes of Neymar, Pedro, Thierry Henry and Ronaldinho did in the first half of the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner's glittering Barcelona career.
All of those world-class players had magic in their boots and unflappable personalities. They also strived to stand out on their own unique merits, which is exactly what Yamal tries to do each time he takes to the pitch.
“For me the most important thing is to leave a legacy," he told at the start of the month. "In the end, being compared to Leo is more important than not looking at it. It is true that if you are compared to the best player in history it is because you are doing things well. It doesn't bother me, obviously, but I try to always be myself.”
Getty ImagesPerfect mentor
Yamal's mature view to being held up alongside Messi is refreshing, but that doesn't mean he's more enlightened than other top prospects in his age bracket. Like any teenager, he's still growing physically and mentally, and will have to avoid the pitfalls of fame to fulfil his immense potential.
"I think Lamine is at a high level but, at his age, he can and still has to improve," Flick said last week. "It's great to see him training day after day. But he has to move forward, improve, work hard. Champions don't rest, and I think that's good advice. If he wants to be a great champion, he can't rest too much, he has to keep going and going."
Flick's strong words came after it was reported that Yamal had to go through "a tunnel of slaps" as punishment for reporting late to one of his team-talks. The Spain international won't get any special treatment because of his new superstar status, which is exactly how it should be.
According to , Barcelona are very aware of Yamal's "excessive prominence", with some senior figures worried he could be "overwhelmed" by all the outside noise. Flick is the perfect coach to make sure that doesn't happen.
The no-nonsense German, who promoted Jamal Musiala to Bayern Munich's first team at 17-years-old, promotes an honest dynamic in the dressing room and is not afraid to be tough on younger players. Flick will give prospects like Yamal freedom to express themselves, but demands a certain level of respect in return.
Yamal needs a mentor like that as he enters the next stage of his development. Flick won't let him take his eye off the ball, which bodes well for Barcelona's chances of building on their incredible start to the campaign.
