Barcelona shuffled their attackers with the Champions League return in mind, but Lamine Yamal still started against Espanyol — and the teenager decided the derby with a dazzling performance. Plainly put: this was genius.
The opener arrived when Ferran Torres headed in a corner won after an audacious, characteristically inventive Yamal backheel. The second was Torres again, set up by an outside-of-the-boot through-ball from Yamal; both plays required no break of stride. Yamal then grabbed the third himself, outpacing the goalkeeper and already celebrating before the routine finish. The fourth came from Marcus Rashford after yet another precise ball behind the defence from Yamal.
It was the kind of display that left opponents dizzy and the crowd euphoric. More than 60,000 were at Camp Nou to witness it — a half-complete stadium hosting a fully formed superstar. He is 18.
The Espanyol game was Yamal’s 100th LaLiga appearance. In doing so he became the first player in the division this season to reach double figures for both goals and assists. For context, Lionel Messi was 20 when he first managed that, Cristiano Ronaldo 26. To be operating at this level so early is extraordinary. Robert Lewandowski recognised his talent at 15; the wider world was convinced after Yamal powered Spain to Euro 2024 glory, the final victory coming a day after his 17th birthday.
Numbers don’t tell the whole story of why Yamal is special, but they are compelling. Since his Champions League debut at 16 he has completed 116 dribbles in the competition — more than any other player — and ranks top for through-balls too. Remember: this is his record at the very start of a career. It feels plausible to call him the world’s best; rare is the teenager who inspires such comparisons — nobody since Pelé, some might say.
He’s become a cultural figure in Barcelona as well as a footballing one. Shirts bearing his name are everywhere, especially among children eager for a local hero. His exuberance makes him easy to love: he dances and conducts the crowd when he scores, waves his arms urging louder cheers when the ball goes out, and plays with visible joy. The taped wrist, the celebrations — they all amplify the sense that something unpredictable can happen whenever he gets the ball.
That unpredictability has caused friction off the pitch. A careless comment about Real Madrid — saying they “steal and complain” — stirred controversy before El Clásico and drew criticism from teammates who felt he gifted Madrid extra motivation. Coach Hansi Flick warned recently that it’s “not good to make this noise around everything he is doing,” reminding everyone that “he is only 18.” On the field, though, that youth is easy to forget.
Yamal blends raw emotion with an unusually mature footballing brain. Lewandowski says he plays like he is 25; team-mate Pau Cubarsi, who has known him since childhood, joked 30. It’s not mere flattery — his decision-making is consistently exceptional, and he already acts as a conspicuous leader for Barcelona.
That leadership was evident even in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Atlético Madrid at Camp Nou, a night when everything went wrong for Barcelona. Cubarsi’s red card and Marcus Rashford’s profligacy left Barcelona two down ahead of the return in Madrid, but Yamal was relentless. He tried to bend the game single-handedly and, in spite of the result, put in a superb individual performance.
Julian Álvarez picked up the player-of-the-match award that night, but stripping away the scoreline, hardly any scout would have missed Barcelona’s No. 10. He was everywhere, darting and probing, creating more chances than anyone else. He attempted as many dribbles as his team-mates combined — more than the entire opposition — and his nine successful dribbles were the most by any player in a Champions League game this season, the most since he managed 14 against Inter in May.
That defeat denied fans a potential final against Paris Saint-Germain and left Barcelona with real work to do to reach the last four. Yamal needs these high-stakes European nights as much as Barcelona do; they both benefit from the platform such matches provide. More international silverware looks possible for him with Spain at the World Cup this summer, and he has spoken of wanting to win many Ballons d’Or. A Champions League title would certainly help that cause.
To stay in the competition Barcelona need a remontada. After watching Yamal produce a three-goal win at the weekend without appearing to hit top gear, don’t rule it out. Flick is right to say Barcelona don’t need a miracle — not with a genius like Lamine Yamal on their side.
The pictures within this article were taken by OPPO Find X9 Pro. OPPO has partnered with UEFA Champions League since 2022 and currently serves as the Official Smartphone Product Partner.