Lamine Yamal, Barcelona player
Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images
Barcelona’s rise in 2025 has had many talking points, but few stories are as striking as the evolution of Lamine Yamal.
Still only at the beginning of his career, the teenager has managed to take a clear step forward over the past year, not by changing his style, but by sharpening the most decisive part of his game – goals.
What makes Yamal’s progress even more compelling is the context. Between Barcelona and the Spain national football team, he played the same number of official matches in 2025 as he did in 2024.
That like-for-like comparison removes any doubts and makes the numbers far more meaningful. The difference is clear and impossible to ignore.
In 2024, Yamal finished the year with 13 goals. As many as 12 came in a Barcelona shirt, while one arrived with Spain.
Those figures were already impressive for a player of his age, especially one whose main reputation was built on creativity rather than finishing.
Fast forward to the end of 2025, and the picture looks very different. Yamal has doubled his output, scoring 24 goals across club and country.
Lamine Yamal in 2024:
– 13 goals
– 24 assists
Lamine Yamal in 2025:
– 24 goals
– 21 assists
He played the same amount of matches in both years. pic.twitter.com/TYuW0xTCXU
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) December 25, 2025
Of those, 21 were for Barcelona, and three came with the national team.
Positionally, little has changed on paper. Yamal still starts most games from the right wing.
However, in recent matches, he has also been trusted in more central areas, allowing him to attack the box more often.
During the 2025/26 season, Yamal has already scored nine goals for Barcelona, adding to the 12 he found earlier in the calendar year.
Under Hansi Flick, Barcelona have encouraged him to be braver in front of goal, and the results speak for themselves.
While goals have increased, his assist numbers remain strong. In 2024, Yamal registered 24 assists between club and country. In 2025, that figure stands at 21, with 19 of them coming for Barcelona.
It goes on to show that even as his scoring has improved, he has not lost his team-first mindset.
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