Lamine Yamal is 17 years young and has long been much more than just a promise for the future - the teenager belongs to the present. blue Sport expert Mladen Petric explains what makes Yamal so special.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Barça star Lamine Yamal scores his first Champions League goal in the 2-1 defeat against Monaco on Thursday.
- At 17 years and 68 days, he is the second-youngest CL goalscorer in history.
- The game against Monaco was Yamal's 11th appearance in the Champions League - more than any other 17-year-old before him.
- Yamal has already scored three goals and set up four in the first five rounds of the league this season.
- His star is also shining brightly at the European Championships. He scored one goal and set up four for Spain on their way to winning the title.
- Blue Sport expert Mladen Petric explains what makes Lamine Yamal a world-class player - see video above.
On Thursday evening, Barcelona were outnumbered from the 10th minute in Monaco (1-2). Eric Garcia pulls the emergency brake and has to go to the showers. Six minutes later, Maghnes Akliouche gives Monaco the lead. Nevertheless, Barcelona got back into the game thanks to Lamine Yamal. In the 28th minute, he moved from the right side with the ball at his feet to the middle and scored with a precise low shot into the near corner to make it 1-1.
It is Yamal's first Champions League goal in his 11th appearance in the top flight. blue Sport expert Mladen Petric analyzes the goal in the studio at half-time: "You don't even see it until then. These are the situations that make the small difference as to whether you're a world-class player or not. He has an opportunity and he uses it."
He continued: "But what's also striking and I find quite interesting is that Lewandowski was completely free in the middle. When Yamal pulls in, he can simply lay the ball off to him and Lewandowski is alone in front of the goalkeeper." But Yamal now has the confidence and standing to say to himself: "Come on, I'll score myself."
The impressive numbers of Lamine Yamal
On Thursday, it was exactly one year ago to the day that Lamine Yamal made his first appearance in the Champions League, becoming the second youngest debutant in the competition at 16 years and 68 days - only Dortmund's Youssoufa Moukoko was younger at 16 years and 18 days.
At 17 years and 68 days, Yamal is also number 2 in the ranking of the youngest Champions League goalscorers in history as of this Thursday. Only team-mate Ansu Fati was even younger when he scored his first goal - a meagre 28 days.
11 Champions League appearances as a 17-year-old (or younger) - no other player in the world has managed that before him. He leaves Jude Bellingham, Youri Tielemans and Warren Zaïre-Emery behind him, who made 10 appearances each.
Last season, Yamal played 50 games for Barça in all competitions. He scored seven goals and set up nine others. He easily coped with the monster program and so he made a big impression at the European Championship. With four assists and a goal, the young Spaniard is an important factor on the way to the European Championship triumph.
In the 2:1 victory against France in the European Championship semi-final, Yamal scored a magnificent goal at the age of 16 years and 362 days to make it 1:1, replacing Johan Vonlanthen (who was 17 years and 239 days old when he scored) as the youngest European Championship goalscorer in history. In the final against England (2:1), Yamal also set up Nico Williams' 1:0.
Yamal is already indispensable for Barça
Yamal has already scored three goals and set up four in the first five rounds of the league this season and has now also delivered in the Champions League. He also provided an assist for the national team in the 4:1 win against Switzerland. The Nations League match against Serbia (0:0) remains the only game this season in which he has not scored.
This makes the following statistic all the more astonishing: Lamine Yamal has actually scored a goal in two consecutive games for the first time in his 57-match club career. It's safe to assume that he'll score in two consecutive games quite often in the future.
This Lamine Yamal is amazing! At the age of 17, he has already achieved more than countless top-class footballers throughout their entire careers.
