Lamine Yamal is the most exciting teenager in world football right now.
But Barcelona have to be careful he’s not burnt out before he can reach his very high ceiling. The comparison stat which showed him in line with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi was frightening. Not because of the goals and assists he’s accumulated but the amount of games. Ronaldo had played 19 senior matches at 17, Messi had nine.
Yamal’s starring show against Inter Milan was his 100th appearance for Barcelona. He’s got 19 senior caps for Spain, too. He doesn’t turn 18 until July and he could by then have won the European Championships, La Liga, Champions League and the Copa del Rey.
He already has the Euros success and Copa del Rey secured. La Liga is coming while the 3-3 draw with Inter in the semi-final of the European Cup means that is still up for grabs. He is a joy to watch but he’s a different player to Messi and Ronaldo despite the comparisons.
They were wonderful all-round goalscorers and creators but Yamal is probably a bit more focused on being the orchestrator. After 100 games for Barcelona when he was 20, Messi had 48 goal involvements with just eight of those assists. Yamal has 49 but with 22 goals and 27 assists.
Still, when you see how he effortlessly whizzed past Inter defenders and finished with a stunning goal off the post you know there will be plenty more goals. Yet it is an extraordinary amount of football for a teenager to have played before they’re even allowed to legally consume an alcoholic beverage.
Now sports science continues to advance beyond anything before but we have seen many teenage sensations burn brightly in their early 20s before fading fast as their 30s neared. Yet how does Barcelona slow this young man down?
He’s already their best player - and that’s some accolade given the talent in their squad - so he isn’t sitting out big matches. But maybe they will have to watch the amount he plays by resting him against lesser opposition for the next few years.
Yamal has the ability to go on to be as great as Messi and Ronaldo once were in their pomp. But to do that he will have to stay at the top of the game for over a decade like those two did. And if he plays too much football while his body is still developing then he may not be able to match their longevity.