Lamine Yamal has been showing signs of becoming the next big thing in Spanish football since making his debut for the Barcelona senior team in April last year. The 16-year-old winger once again demonstrated his class in his recent La Liga appearance against Mallorca on Saturday.
Yamal netted the only goal in the gripping clash, inspiring Barcelona to secure crucial three points from the home fixture. Yamal’s strike soon became the talk of the town, with many fans comparing his talent with legendary Lionel Messi.
The Argentine icon also kicked off his professional career with Barcelona at a tender age and is regarded as the greatest of this generation now.
A clip of Lamine Yamal’s stunning finish was dropped on X (formerly Twitter) by a page named Footy Fever, with the caption, “What a banger by Lamine Yamal. Messi-esque.”
It turned out to be a frustrating game for the attackers at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys. Despite enabling several scoring opportunities, both teams were struggling to break the deadlock.
The match had gone into the final 20 minutes when Yamal stepped up with something magical to change the course of the game. The teenager received a pass from Robert Lewandowski at the edge of the opposition box where more than five Mallorca players were present.
Despite looking for any passing option, Yamal decided to try his luck from a distance. He baffled a Mallorca defender with a brilliant skill before unleashing a Messi-like shot off his left foot and the ball entered the net from the right top corner. Thanks to his winning strike, the Barcelona prodigy was named the Player of the Match.
Barcelona boss Xavi, however, felt it wouldn’t be fair to compare Yamal with Messi. The former Spanish midfielder, who has shared the pitch with Messi for many years, said after the Mallorca game, “Anyone will lose when compared to Messi. We’re talking about the best player in the history of this sport, he should not be compared to others,” as quoted by Forbes.
Following the 1-0 victory over Mallorca, Barcelona are now gearing up for a Champions League assignment. They will host Serie A side Napoli for the second leg of the Round of 16 fixtures on March 13. The previous clash between the two ended in a 1-1 draw in Naples.