Barcelona rotated their forward line with the Champions League in mind, but Lamine Yamal started against Espanyol as well. The teenager then clinched the derby with some brilliant football. Let’s talk openly about what we see. This is genius.
The first goal was headed in by Ferran Torres from a corner kick, and with the help of a bold but typical Lamine Yamal backheel, they won the point. The second goal was scored by the same player, with a through ball from the outside of his boot. Neither man needed to break stride.
He beat the goalkeeper himself to score the third goal and celebrated even before completing the formalities. Barcelona’s fourth and final goal, as we all know, was scored by Marcus Rashford, who arrowed the ball behind the defence.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Highlights of La Liga match between Barcelona and Espanyol
It was a performance as dazzling as his marker. You wanted to hurry and tell the stranger what you had just witnessed. Luckily, there were over 60,000 other people at Camp Nou to test it out. Although the stadium is still under construction, it is a completed superstar stadium. He is 18 years old.
This was Lamine Yamal’s 100th La Liga match. Among them, he became the first player to reach double figures in goals and assists in this season’s competition. For context, Lionel Messi was already 20 years old when he first did it. Cristiano Ronaldo was 26 years old.
It’s quite another thing to get so good at it so quickly. Robert Lewandowski knew this after his first training session at the age of 15. The world was convinced when he led Spain to glory at Euro 2024, clinching their final victory the day after his 17th birthday.
Statistics can’t explain why Ramin Yamal is so special, but he’s also fascinating. Since making his Champions League debut at the age of 16, he has completed 116 dribbles in the competition, far more than any other footballer. He’s also the best at through balls.
Just to be clear, this is an early record of his career. Ousmane Dembele beat him to win the Ballon d’Or in the fall, but it is no exaggeration to say that Lamine Yamal is already the best in the world. Who else could say that to a teenager? No one since Pele.
An extraordinary person appears and when they see him in Barcelona they know his greatness. There are a surprising number of shirts with his name on them, especially among children. Like pop stars, the next generation wants their own heroes. they found him.
Ramin Yamal is easy to relate to, not only because of his extraordinary talent, but also because of his exuberance. When he scores, he dances in front of the crowd and then conducts. When the ball went out, he waved his arms and called for louder cheers.
He wears his heart on his sleeve just above his wrist, which is wrapped with tape. It all adds to the feeling of not knowing what will happen when he gets the ball. There is a clear rise in expectations. No one wants to look away. They may see things they have never seen before.
Off the pitch, that unpredictability has caused problems this season. Careless remarks about Real Madrid and how they “steal and complain” caused chaos ahead of El Clasico. Even his teammates accused him of giving Madrid even more motivation to win.
“It’s not good to make a fuss about everything he does,” Barcelona manager Hansi Flick said recently. “I know everyone is looking at him because he’s a great player, but he’s only 18 years old.” The problem is that on the pitch he makes you forget that very easily.
Lewandowski says he plays like a 25-year-old. In fact, Barça defender Pau Kvarsi, who has known him since childhood, has chosen the 30-year-old. This may seem like a throwaway line, but it’s an important point. I feel that way because his decision making has been consistently very good.
This is also a curiosity. His character is a strange amalgamation of emotion and maturity. You may have noticed that many people have stopped imagining how good Ramin Yamal will become in the future because he is already there. He became the outstanding leader of this Barça team.
That was clear from watching the Champions League quarter-final first leg against Atletico Madrid at Camp Nou up close. It was a difficult night for Barcelona, with a very different result to the game against Espanyol. Everything went wrong.
A red card for Kvarsi at one end and a wrong finish from Marcus Rashford at the other left the team two points ahead of Tuesday’s return leg in Madrid. But through it all, Lamine Yamal was on a one-man mission to change the game to his will. he was great.
Julian Alvarez won the Most Valuable Player award, which is no surprise given the result. However, if you remove that background and think about it, no scout would have overlooked Barcelona’s number 10. If you threw aliens into that stadium, they would recognize them as their own players.
Torres once said he wasn’t sure if his younger teammates understood what pressure was. “It’s like playing in a schoolyard.” But it wasn’t the performance of a player who didn’t understand what was at stake. That was even more impressive. That drove him.
“No matter what happens in the game, I know he’ll be at his best,” said Pedri, another teammate. That’s what he did as he lunged towards the Atlético defense and danced. Even in games we lost, he created more chances than anyone else on the pitch.
In fact, he attempted more dribbles than all of his teammates combined. His nine successful dribbles were the most by a player in a Champions League match this season. This is the highest number since he achieved 14 times against Inter in May.
With the loss that night, the final against Paris Saint-Germain was forever ruled out. Now, Lamine Yamal and Barcelona have a job to do to reach the final four. Even though he’s still in the early stages of his career, that should be frustrating. He needs these games. We need him in these games.
There is a clear possibility that he will win more silver medals with Spain at this summer’s World Cup, and the player himself has said that he wants to win more than just one Ballon d’Or. However, there is no doubt that winning the Champions League increases the chances of achieving that goal.
We need remontada to stay in the competition. After seeing him score three goals and seal a victory without ever hitting top gear on Saturday, there’s no need to rule out that possibility. Flick says Barcelona don’t need a miracle, and he’s right. There is no genius like Lamine Yamal.
The photos in this article were taken by OPPO Find X9 Pro. OPPO has been partnering with the UEFA Champions League since 2022 and currently serves as its official smartphone product partner.
