Lamine Yamal`s recent standout performance in the UEFA Champions League was a major highlight, confirming he is not just a future star but a top talent playing at the highest level right now.
The 17-year-old Yamal played a pivotal role in Barcelona`s strong attacking display. He took four shots, created two chances, and scored a moment of individual brilliance in the 24th minute that helped spark Barcelona`s comeback. This was just the latest match where Yamal left onlookers speechless, including football icon Thierry Henry.
`What I witnessed tonight from Lamine Yamal… it`s not normal to be like that at 17,` Henry commented during the UEFA Champions League Today post-match show. `I`m not talking about what he does when he`s on the ball, his awareness, how calm he is, how he sees the game, the way he will defend, put pressure. It`s just not normal. We talked about the 100 games that he already has at that age. It`s just stupid, really. I don`t even know what I`m watching, what I`m witnessing, but he played like a man possessed, and when I say `a man,` he`s not even a man yet, technically. It`s just not normal.`
Statistics support Henry`s view that Yamal operates on a different level for his age. In his first 100 senior appearances at club level, he recorded 50 goals and assists (22 goals, 28 assists). This tally is close to Lionel Messi`s 56 (41 goals, 15 assists) and significantly ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo`s 27 (13 goals, 14 assists) at the same career milestone. Crucially, both Messi and Ronaldo reached the 100-game mark at an older age than Yamal, and Messi had only played seven senior games for Barcelona by the time he was Yamal`s current age.
His remarkable form is complemented by his entertaining skills, which he proudly considers a trademark of his game.
`I like playing in a way that other people enjoy,` Yamal stated in an interview on the UEFA Champions League Today post-match show.
Yamal`s success extends to team trophies despite his young age. He played a key role in Spain`s victory at last year`s Euros and contributed significantly to Barcelona winning the Copa del Rey recently. With Barcelona leading La Liga and still competing in the Champions League, a treble is a real possibility, in which case he would be a deserving recipient of further accolades. He is already building a strong case to be considered among the game`s elite, potentially filling the void left as Messi and Ronaldo approach the end of their legendary careers.
`One thing that always amazes me in football is you always think that there`s no way that someone is going to be better [than Messi or Ronaldo],` Henry remarked. `And then Yamal arrives, and then you have a new guy in Argentina, [Franco] Mastantuono that plays for River Plate, already winning that derby game on the free kick against Boca Juniors. That`s why football is amazing. There is a guy that soon, maybe in two to three years, that we`re going to talk about that`s not already on the scene, but it`s crazy to think that a guy – he`s 17 years old. [At] 17 years old, I made my debut, I think. It`s just crazy what he`s doing. It`s just not normal, but look, it`s great to see that there`s a new guy coming, a new guy on the block that looks like he might be dominating, and I wish that for him. Let`s not put him under pressure and say he should be on the throne or whatever.`
Potential Jersey Exchange?
Towards the end of the interview, Henry mentioned he would be in Barcelona for El Clásico in May and expressed hope of getting Yamal`s jersey for his son. Yamal was receptive to the idea but made a counter-request, asking if Henry could bring him one of his own jerseys in return, adding that it didn`t matter whether it was a Barcelona or Arsenal shirt.
Adrian Whitmore 
Benedict Kingsley