Lamine Yamal, a winger for La Liga club Barcelona, made Champions League history on Tuesday night. The 17-year-old became the youngest player to assist and score a goal as he helped Barcelona win 3-1 against Benfica. The Spanish club will now move into the quarter finals and will play against either Borussia Dortmund or Lille.
“It was a good goal, but sometimes these things come off and sometimes they don’t,” Yamal said after the game, according toCNN.
His teammates noted his impressive achievement on the field.
“His goal was spectacular,” Raphinha said, according toBBC. “It shows what Lamine is – he’s a spectacular player with tremendous quality.”
Yamal also received congratulatory words from Barcelona manager Hansi Flick.
“Lamine hadn’t scored for a long time, six games and over a month, so he’s happy because it was a very important goal for us, a brilliant effort,” he said, according to BBC. “We are all happy for him because he is a great kid and a fantastic player.”
The soccer player has scored 28 goals this season and is nearing 60 goals total in his career for Barcelona and the Spanish national team. Yamal has become an essential asset to the club. He played 50 games last season and 36 games this season.
Some of his peers have likened him to soccer star Wayne Rooney, who started his career at 16-years-old at Everton and eventually became Manchester United’s all-time top scorer.
“I’ve never seen a 17-year-old that consistent,” former England midfielder Owen Hargreaves said on TNT Sports, according to BBC. “You see players have flashes. I think back to seeing Wayne Rooney and thought he was out of this world, but this kid is just unbelievable.”
“He scores goals, creates goals, and he makes it look incredibly easy,” he added. “The best 17-year-old I’ve seen.”