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Lamine Yamal: Barcelona’s Rising Star and the Best Young Winger in the World
A Star is Born
In May 2024, Lamine Yamal opened the scoring during Barcelona’s game against Espanyol. Barcelona won the game and were officially crowned La Liga winners, overcoming their biggest rival, Real Madrid, who won the league and were champions of Europe last year.
Yamal is Barcelona’s biggest prospect since Lionel Messi developed at the La Masia academy. Yamal made his senior debut at 15 and has been a key part of the club’s rebuild after Messi’s move to PSG.
Yamal is gifted with his feet and is a tough player to contain. He can receive the ball from deep and drive past several opponents, beat defenders one-on-one, and shoot on target from long range. This blog will discuss his play style and the attributes that make him one of the best upcoming talents in the world.
La Masia Origins: Lamine Yamal's Path to Barcelona's First Team
Yamal joined Barcelona’s La Masia academy when he was seven and quickly rose through the ranks, progressing through the age categories faster than most youth players. He was called up to train with the first team when he was playing for the U19s, eventually going on to become Barcelona’s youngest player ever when he made his debut.
The winger became a regular starter for the club and set many records, such as being the youngest player to reach 50 appearances with the first team as well as setting new goal scoring and assist records in the La Liga. Yamal also made headlines as the youngest player to play for Spain’s national team and was instrumental in their EURO 2024 win.
He excels at taking opponents on, creating and finishing chances and is a versatile player who can play on the right wing, attacking midfield or striker.
Dribbling and Creativity: Elite 1v1 Skill and Playmaking Vision
In his prime, Messi would often be marked by more than one player to limit his influence on the game. However, Messi was so skilled that he’d breeze past players who couldn’t do anything to stop him - one of the signs of a world-class player.
Yamal’s ability to operate in tight spaces and get past defenders to create scoring chances is crucial for his team’s attack-minded play style. As a winger, he often finds himself in one-on-one scenarios or gets double-teamed by opposing defenders.
Yamal has the highest dribble success rate in Europe’s top five leagues this season. He completed 14 dribbles against Inter during the Champions League semi-final, the most by a player in the tournament since Neymar in 2020.
According to DataMB, the young forward is the only winger in Europe’s seven major leagues who ranks 95th percentile or higher for assists, key passes and successful dribbles completed. Yamal is in the 100th percentile for dribbles and attacking actions, 99th percentile for key passes and 95th percentile for goal and assist contributions.
With multiple players constantly marking him, Yamal creates space for his teammates to take advantage of, which can lead to scoring opportunities. This season, he’s assisted 13 goals in the La Liga and 3 in the Champions League.
Finishing and Goal Scoring: Lethal Left Foot and Big Game Impact
Yamal has scored 13 goals this season, some of which have been during significant moments for Barcelona. He’s recently scored superb solo goals against Inter, Real Madrid, and Espanyol - some of which have won them the game.
His signature move is dribbling past players, cutting in from the right wing onto his left foo,t and shooting from distance. Yamal’s mastery of this finish is tough for his opponents to handle and is reminiscent of Messi’s magical moments during his Barcelona days.
Barcelona has scored over 151 goals across all competitions this season, placing them eighth in the club’s all-time rankings for most goals in a single season. Yamal has been a major factor in their forward line’s success this year. He’s been clinical with his finishing and intelligent with his decision-making on the field, elevating not only his individual game but the team’s performance as a whole.
EURO 2024 Final Performance: Spain vs. England
Yamal was phenomenal in this game and inspired Spain to a 2-1 win against England. The winger provided an assist for Spain’s first goal, his fourth assist in the tournament, which is the joint-highest record at the European Championship.
Yamal had a fantastic overall showing at the Euros. He created the fourth most chances, averaged 9.1 take-ons, and led the way for most shot involvements following a ball carry.
He also set a record to become the first player in history to score or assist in the quarterfinal, semifinal and final of the tournament.
Champions League Semi-Final Heroics: Barcelona vs. Inter Milan
Barcelona were struggling against Inter, who had a 2-0 lead going into the second half until Yamal stepped up and scored a brilliant solo goal to bring them back into the game.
He had 17 touches in the opponent’s box, won 8 duels, had the most shots and completed dribbles, and made 102 actions with the ball throughout the match.
Yamal’s goal made him the youngest player to score in a Champions League semifinal, breaking the record set by an 18-year-old Kylian Mbappé.
A Future Ballon d’Or Winner in the Making
Lamine Yamal is one of the best wingers in the sport right now and is primed to become a future Ballon d’Or winner. His dribbling, shooting ability, and chance creation are qualities that will help him develop into one of the greatest wingers in the world.
He’s had many brilliant moments this season where he broke records and won major trophies with club and country. As he gains more experience, Yamal will grow to become a player who can lead his team on the pitch and consistently put up world-class performances on the big stages.
