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Lamine Yamal: A master of the outside-the-boot pass – Opinion

Over the years, football has seen only a select few players master the art of the outside-the-boot pass. Commonly known as the ‘Trivela,’ it is one of the most challenging techniques to execute in the game.

Even some of the most skillful players in the history of the game, like Ronaldinho or, more recently, Neymar, have dazzled opponents and fans with a plethora of tricks but haven’t necessarily mastered the art of the trivela.

Looking back in history, Ricardo Quaresma stands out as a footballer who was a natural at the trivela, showcasing exceptional control over it. Former Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund star Tomáš Rosický also employed this pass effectively in his game.

In the current game, Real Madrid legend Luka Modric is one player who has mastered the trivela. The Croatian not only uses this technique to pick apart opposition defenses but also employs it to shoot with the outside of his boot.

One thing you have to say about these players, however—with the exception of Quaresma—is that they added this weapon to their arsenal later in their careers. Certainly, none of them would have mastered the art at the tender age of 17.

Putting all this into context, helps one realize just how incredible what Lamine Yamal does is. The 17-year-old Barcelona wonderkid has already provided three such assists this campaign and seems to pull off the trivela every single time he attempts it.

Against Mallorca, in FC Barcelona’s 5-1 win last night, Lamine Yamal pulled off the trivela twice – both remarkably different from one another and both leading to goals for his team. One was credited as a direct assist to him while the other would go down as a pre-assist.

The first time Lamine pulled this pass off was when the score was 2-1 in favor of the Catalan club. At that point, the game was on a knife edge and Mallorca wasn’t completely out of it, considering Barcelona’s ineffectiveness in front of goal in terms of finishing up to that point.

Lamine picked up the ball in a fairly undangerous position on the right after a pass from Jules Kounde. He took a couple of steps towards goal in a leisurely manner, already mapping exactly what he was going to do a couple of seconds later.

From the corner of his eye, one would presume, he saw Raphinha making a darting run at the far post and he unleashed an inch-perfect trivela with just the perfect amount of curve that it beat the outstretched defender’s leg but bent back enough to meet the Brazilian’s foot.

One would have to say that there is absolutely no way that Raphinha could have missed from there and it almost felt like Lamine’s pass hit Raphinha’s foot to go into the net rather than the Brazilian doing anything to finish it off.

If you thought this assist was good, the trivela pass that he pulled off in the lead-up to Pau Victor’s goal was even more difficult. Although it wouldn’t get credited to Lamine directly, this goal was also all about the magic that he conjured.

In this instance, Lamine received the ball further deep in his own half around the half-line and had to do a lot of work himself. He took it upon himself to dribble along the touchline instead of cutting in, scanning the open space ahead of him.

This time, Yamal saw the run that Pau Victor was going to make, except that unlike Raphinha who made it from the far post, the young Spaniard was running on the same side of Lamine Yamal with a defender in the cover shadow between Yamal and himself.

Yamal quickly realized that there was no way a through pass would escape the interception of the defender and decided to pull off another trivela, which had to have much less curve than the first one for Raphinha.

The 17-year-old put on just enough weight on the pass that it went beyond the defender who was tracking Pau Victor’s run but curled in time to fall right at the feet of the striker who squared it to Raphinha. The move was eventually finished off by Frenkie de Jong.

Lamine will receive a lot of plaudits for his assist for Raphinha but it was the pass that he played to Pau that made his playmaking ability at such a young age stand out. It was also his third trivela assist of the season at a time when many will crave to have just one in their career.

At just 17, Lamine Yamal is not only carrying the club on his back but has also seemingly mastered the beauty of the outside-the-boot pass. It’s a deadly weapon in his arsenal, and one can only assume this is just the beginning. Let’s wait and see how the teenager continues to develop this aspect of his game.

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MALLORCA, SPAIN - DECEMBER 03: Ferran Torres of FC Barcelona celebrates scoring his team´s first goal with teammates during the LaLiga match between RCD Mallorca and FC Barcelona at Estadi de Son Moix on December 03, 2024 in Mallorca, Spain.

MALLORCA, SPAIN - DECEMBER 03: Lamine Yamal of FC Barcelona gestures during the LaLiga match between RCD Mallorca and FC Barcelona at Estadi de Son Moix on December 03, 2024 in Mallorca, Spain.

MALLORCA, SPAIN - DECEMBER 03: Frenkie de Jong (L) of FC Barcelona celebrates after scoring his team's fourth goal with teammates Raphinha (C) and Pedri (R) during the LaLiga match between RCD Mallorca and FC Barcelona at Estadi de Son Moix on December 03, 2024 in Mallorca, Spain.

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