Barcelona’s best academy graduate since Messi? Yamal’s incredible start this season
Barcelona have made a scintillating start to LaLiga with Lamine Yamal central to their success. After shining for Spain aged just 16 as they won Euro 2024, Yamal cemented his reputation as a generational talent and expectations skyrocketed for the precocious winger. But the youngster continues to defy his years by playing a leading role for Barcelona in establishing an early-four point lead over rivals Real Madrid.
The clubs Barcelona have paid the most transfer fees to
Barcelona have won their opening six league games with Hansi Flick making an instant impact since replacing Xavi. Barca did lose their opening Champions League game 2-1 to Monaco after Eric Garcia was sent off after just ten minutes but Yamal did register his first ever goal in the most prestigious club competition. The Catalonia giants have soared to the summit of La Liga in style, brushing aside opponents with their famed La Masia academy prominent. Yamal is undoubtedly the jewel in Barcelona’s crown and it’s increasingly apparent why the 17-year-old is widely regarded as their best academy graduate since Lionel Messi.
Lamine Yamal’s incredible start to LaLiga
Six games, six wins and 22 goals scored – of which, Yamal has directly contributed to eight of those. The winger provided an incredible trivela assist to Raphinha as Barcelona netted their fifth goal in their 5-1 rout of Villarreal on Sunday. Yamal netted a brace in the previous weekend as Barca blew fellow Champions League outfit Girona aside and he’s been the beating heartbeat of everything good about Flick’s men. Yamal is in incredible form with three goals and five assists in six games with Barcelona teammates Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha also on eight goal contributions in the league.
As the graphic above illustrates, Yamal’s eight goal contributions this season ranks him third across the top five leagues. Only Erling Haaland and Harry Kane have provided more and Yamal is still in the fledgling stages of his career. Yamal’s Champions League tally takes his goal contributions with Barcelona to nine in all competitions and he’s on track to smash his total from last season of 16. It’s been an incredible 2024 so far with Yamal as he’s emerged as one of the best wingers in the world and only Haaland (30) has provided more non-penalty goal contributions this calendar year.
The incredible rise of Lamine Yamal
Yamal became Barcelona’s youngest player in 100 years when Xavi handed him his debut aged just 15 years and nine months against Real Betis in April 2023 and that started his exponential rise. He featured in all but one LaLiga game last season, scoring five goals and providing eight assists. The records tumbled for the wonderkid during his breakthrough campaign as he became Barcelona and LaLiga’s youngest ever scorer, the youngest Barcelona player to face Real Madrid and the youngest player to feature in the Champions League knockout stages.
As the graphic above illustrates, Yamal is the most valuable teenager in the world at €120 million and his market value skyrocketed last season. The 16-year-old gained his first market value on Transfermarkt of €25m in August 2023 and it rose by €95m across the course of last season. Yamal’s valuation is only heading in one direction and he’s already the most valuable Barcelona player and second most valuable Spanish player behind Rodri.
