Lamine Yamal: The teenager with the world at his feet

Well, the headline is not just to bait you into getting this article a lot of reads. It’s actually about a teenage footballer who truly has the world at his feet!

“What were you doing at 16?” was rife on the internet during last summer’s European Championship (Euros) after renowned commentator Peter Drury was left swooning over Lamine Yamal before Spain’s clash with Croatia.

You’ll not point fingers at Peter for that, would you? The lad is too good to ignore.

At 16, the writer of this piece had vacillating thoughts on his career path, unkempt hair, and was all over the place, trying to thwart everything life threw at him.

That just goes to show there was no regimentation whatsoever or predetermined plan, just a teenager living any other day out.

But at 16, Lamine was terrifying the life out of defenders at the Euros, breaking ankles, leaving spectators at the edge of their seats, and etching his name in history.

It’s absolutely incredible to think that this isn’t fictional and that it is an actual reality.

I hope this was fictional or one of those comical books, movies, or series, but at the rate at which Lamine is moving, he could actually end his career as one of those Superhumans/heroes.

At the Euros, Lamine became the youngest player to score, at 16 years 362 days, and became the youngest player ever to be named the Most Valuable Young Player.

He was in genuine contention for the Most Valuable Player of the Tournament accolade, in the books of many; that’s how ridiculously good he was.

But on the eve of the 2024 Euros final, it was time for Lamine to turn a new chapter.

He turned 17 and was no longer the 16-year-old lad who brisked past defenders, but at 17, he should have been in the youth setup of most teams.

But here is Lamine, commanding a starting berth in the Spanish and Barcelona teams.

At his new age, he has taken his talent a tad up. The latest evidence of it was showcased in the Supercopa final against Real Madrid on Sunday.

In front of a sold-out King Abdullah Sports City, Lamine, who should have shivers down his spine due to the raucousness of the stadium and the weight of expectation, was gliding past challenges effortlessly and having a stroll in the park.

He only scored a goal against Real Madrid, but anytime he picked up the ball, Real Madrid players had their heads turned, staring themselves in the faces as to say, ‘You pick him up’.

None of them wanted to go close to Lamine, and if you tried to, you would either get turned inside out, get nutmegged, or find yourself questioning your decision to be a professional footballer.

He was absolutely unplayable on the night. The display against Real is just a testament of how good Yamal has developed since making his debut at 15.

Yamal, although cutting his teeth, has been Barcelona’s go-to man for a large part of the season.

Although one may argue Lewandowski and Raphinha have been more prolific in front of goal this term than the youngster, his impact has been massively felt by Barcelona anytime he misses a game.

Lamine has sat out of five Barcelona games this term, with the Blaugranas struggling to rack up wins in his absence.

It is not just about goals and assists when it comes to him; it goes beyond that. Since Hansi Flick’s arrival as Barcelona coach, Raphinha is by far the most improved player, but even though it might not be said, Lamine is the heartbeat of the team.

He is often used as an outlet by Barcelona in games; his ability to hold onto the ball, take players on, and create opportunities out of nothing is a big tool Barcelona have been exploiting time without number.

Although young, Lamine’s decision-making on when to pick a teammate out, get his head down, and dive to the byline to stand up a cross or take up a shot on his own is absolutely spot on.

To think that this whole piece is about a 17-year-old is absolutely frightening!

A 17-year-old who, as we did see at the Euros, has homework and school work to finish is incredible.

Just to give you a better perspective of his talent, in case you doubt my ‘know-how’, Cristiano Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner and one of the greatest to have ever played the game, shares something in common with me.

“He’s got a huge potential,” Ronaldo told Rio Ferdinand on his Youtube channel. “I see a lot of talent. But let’s see during his journey what’s going to happen. “But I think he’ll make it. He will be the best player of this new generation.”

Ronaldo, who should have no right to herald Yamal since he played for Barcelona’s archrivals, Real Madrid, did not mince his words. What more can a young journalist like myself do?

Ronaldo is not the only one who thinks Lamine is destined for greatness. One thing Barcelona fans have often found themselves doing for a prolonged time is to quickly draw parallels between any youngster with genuine potential to Lionel Messi.

Lamine has not been far from that; in fact, he generates a lot of buzz anytime he gets on the ball with his movement and dribbling, drawing semblance to the Argentine great.

Messi also spoke highly of Lamine: “If I have to choose someone, because of the age and because of the future that he has, I’ve heard that they have chosen Lamine Yamal, and without doubt [it’s him] for me, too.

“I agree it depends on him and many things because that’s how soccer is, but he’s the present and without a doubt has a huge future,” he said at Adidas’ Herzogenaurach headquarters.

Having received the green light from the two greats of their generation, and arguably the two greatest of all-time, is enough validation to achieve anything you’re set out to do and shatter records.

Speaking of records, Ronaldo Nazario’s record of being the youngest Ballon d’Or holder, at age 21, is definitely the first on Lamine’s bucket list.

After he was ranked 8th in the 2024 Ballon d’Or, his performances this season are suggestive that he wants to climb higher in the rankings.

The young wide player has so far scored eight times in all competitions and assisted 12 times, setting the tone for greater things.

At least, winning a Ballon d’Or will feel like a vindication for Yamal since his idol, Neymar, who is at the twilight of his career and looks increasingly unlikely to win one, will make up for his loss.

But not to overreact, Lamine has a completely high ceiling. It may be difficult to judge the basis by which the potentials of youngsters are measured, and it wouldn’t be wrong to say he is above the standards at this point.

Bar any injuries and unwanted lifestyle, the heir to Messi and Ronaldo’s throne has arrived.

Lamine will definitely pat himself on the back after he revealed at the end of 2024 that his mission is to score more in 2025.

He’ll be stoked his 2025 resolution is going to plan, scoring two times in the games he has so far played—against Bilbao and Real Madrid.

 

lamine Yamal is dancing with a scooter. @RaphinhaaV1 @FCBarcelona #Barcelona #barcelonafc #lamine #LamineYamal #raphinha #SuperCup #SuperSupercopa #super pic.twitter.com/6qoUMspRvZ

— Hii Selhadin (@HiiSelhadin) January 13, 2025

But the fact holds true: no other 17-year-old can displace Lamine Yamal. Even the ones in his age bracket, Kendry Paez, Pau Cubarsi, Willian Estevao, will take a lesson or two from him.

The post Lamine Yamal: The teenager with the world at his feet first appeared on 3News.

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