Barcelona‘s Lamine Yamal introduced up his first century of first-team appearances for the Catalan membership on Wednesday, and he hasn’t even turned 18.
As if to mark the milestone, Yamal put in a powerful efficiency within the UEFA Champions League as Barça twice got here from behind in a vastly entertaining 3-3 draw with Internazionale within the first leg of their semifinal.
The Spain worldwide scored Barça’s first aim of the evening to change into the youngest participant ever to hit the online in a Champions League semifinal, having already damaged new floor this season by changing into the youngest aim scorer in each a Champions League round-of-16 tie and a quarterfinal.
At 17 years and 292 days, he’s additionally the second-youngest participant to begin in a Champions League semifinal behind Julian Draxler, who was 65 days Yamal’s junior for Schalke 04 in opposition to Manchester United in Might 2011.
Having scored in three successive rounds, Yamal has amassed extra Champions League objectives earlier than his 18th birthday than another participant, having already scored 5 instances within the competitors. His nearest rivals are teammate Ansu Fati and Arsenal‘s Ethan Nwaneri, who each mustered two objectives apiece within the competitors earlier than they had been eligible to vote.
In fact, with information, accolades and objectives aplenty, you do not want us to let you know that Yamal is a particular expertise. Nevertheless, having reached the 100-game mark, it is price evaluating his progress with a handful of different phenoms-turned-superstars on the identical level of their respective senior careers.
2:01
Burley: Lamine Yamal is ‘out of this world’
Craig Burley was stuffed with reward Lamine Yamal after the 17-year-old scored in Barcelona’s 3-3 draw with Inter within the first leg of the Champions League semifinal.
Lamine Yamal
Age on one hundredth look: 17 years, 292 days (April 30, 2025)
Minutes performed: 6,859
Objectives: 22
Assists: 27
Membership trophies: 3
He is solely two full seasons into his skilled profession and Yamal can already boast being a league and cup winner with Barcelona, in addition to the European Championship with Spain. Since his professional debut in 2023 on the age of 15, the fleet-footed ahead has shortly change into an integral a part of the Barça assault. having fun with his best marketing campaign up to now having pitched in with 15 objectives and 20 assists in 49 video games as his aspect stay on the right track for a league, cup and European treble. “Flying begin” is the phrase that immediately springs to thoughts.
1:31
‘The celebrities align!’: Photographer remembers viral Messi-Yamal pictures
Joan Monfort remembers when he photographed Lionel Messi holding Lamine Yamal as a child.
Age: 20 years, 248 days (Feb. 27, 2008)
Minutes: 6,747
Objectives: 41
Assists: 14
Membership trophies: 5
With regards to Yamal’s meteoric progress, the plain comparability to make could be to Messi. Barça’s all-time prime scorer really took just a few years longer to succeed in 100 video games for the Catalans having been extra steadily included into the primary workforce. Only a few months earlier than he reached 100 video games, Messi was pictured holding a child Yamal in a barely odd charity calendar photograph shoot.
2:09
‘Ronaldo owes me a terrific deal’ Shaka Hislop on Cristiano’s first Man Utd aim
Shaka Hislop reminisces on his a part of the Cristiano Ronaldo story, conceding the primary aim he scored for Manchester United.
Age: 19 years, 348 days (Jan. 19, 2005)
Minutes: 5,785
Objectives: 13
Assists: 13
Membership trophies: 2
Having solely damaged into the Sporting CP first workforce at 17, Ronaldo had scored simply 5 senior objectives earlier than his 18th birthday — a mere fraction of Yamal’s tally. Nevertheless, regardless of being comparatively sluggish to get going when it comes to sheer numbers and trophies, Ronaldo quickly started to hit his stride beneath Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United the place he managed to win the FA Cup earlier than mentioning his one hundredth profession recreation (coincidentally in the identical competitors, scoring his twentieth profession aim away in opposition to Exeter Metropolis within the third spherical.) This was along with the Tremendous Cup he managed to win with Sporting throughout his temporary 19-game stint within the Portuguese prime flight. In fact, Ronaldo greater than made up for misplaced time and the objectives, information and accolades quickly started to rain at United, Actual Madrid and past.
Age: 19 years, 119 days (April 18, 2018)
Minutes: 6,410
Objectives: 48
Assists: 29
Membership trophies: 3
After breaking via on a wave of hype as a part of AS Monaco‘s Ligue 1 title-winning upstarts of 2016-17, and shortly securing an enormous switch to Paris Saint-Germain on the age of 18, Mbappé was already properly on his approach to superstardom when he made his one hundredth profession look for Les Parisiens in opposition to Bordeaux in Ligue 1 towards the tip of the 2017-18 season. The younger striker greater than lived as much as his billing too, scoring a raft of objectives and laying on nearly as many assists in that point as his membership conquered all to win a quadruple of home trophies in the identical marketing campaign.
Age: 19 years, 212 days (Feb. 18, 2020)
Minutes: 5,948
Objectives: 60
Assists: 15
Membership trophies: 2
Essentially the most prolific striker in a technology, Haaland marked his one hundredth profession look in typical style — by scoring twice for Borussia Dortmund of their 2-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain within the Champions League spherical of 16, earlier than celebrating by sitting cross-legged in his trademark “zen” pose on the Parc des Princes pitch. The brace took Haaland’s phenomenal season tally to 11 objectives in seven video games for the German membership, regardless of solely becoming a member of them from RB Salzburg the earlier month, and 39 objectives in 29 video games general. He has since set new Champions League information by changing into the quickest participant ever to succeed in 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 and 45 objectives within the competitors, in addition to profitable the Treble with Manchester Metropolis and Golden Boots aplenty.
1:19
Santos announce Neymar return: ‘The Prince is again!’
Brazilian aspect Santos announce Neymar’s return to the membership with a video honouring Pele’s legacy.
Age: 18 years, 251 days (Oct. 17, 2010)
Minutes: 6,944
Objectives: 48
Assists: 27
Membership trophies: 2
Neymar had very almost reached a half-century of senior objectives when he performed the one hundredth recreation of his nascent profession at Santos. The gifted younger striker went straight into the primary workforce in 2009 on the age of simply 16 and instantly lit up the Brazilian Serie A together with his trickery, poise and artistic skill. Santos completed runners-up in Neymar’s debut season however he went onto win three consecutive Campeonato Paulista titles together with his boyhood membership earlier than Barcelona got here calling in the summertime of 2013.
