There’s a new sensation in the football world: Lamine Yamal, player for FC Barcelona and the Spanish national team.
Many of you may have first noticed him during Spain’s Euro Cup win last summer, or perhaps during last season with Barcelona — but this year, now that he’s turned 17, he’s standing out more than ever.
Another record broken
Last Wednesday, he played a brilliant match in the Champions League against Inter Milan. While he didn’t become the youngest player ever to appear in a Champions League semifinal, he did become the youngest ever to score — surpassing Kylian Mbappé, who previously held the record when he scored for AS Monaco.
Back then, Mbappé was 18 years and 140 days old (during the 2016/2017 season). Now, Lamine Yamal has broken that record by scoring at 17 years and 291 days. And he didn’t just score — he was Barcelona’s standout player, helping keep the team alive after going down 0–2.
According to Opta data, here are the 5 youngest players to score in a Champions League semifinal:
- Lamine Yamal (Barcelona – 2024/2025)
- Kylian Mbappé (Mónaco – 2016/2017)
- Obafemi Martins (Inter Milan – 2002/2003)
- Nordin Wooter (Ajax – 1995/1996)
- Matthijs de Ligt (Ajax – 2018/2019)
Will he win the Ballon d’Or?
With Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo no longer dominating the Ballon d’Or conversation, the last edition saw a battle between Rodri and Vinícius Jr. — with Rodri (Manchester City) winning the UEFA and L’Équipe Ballon d’Or, and Vinícius (Real Madrid) winning FIFA’s The Best.
This season, Real Madrid has already been eliminated from the Champions League and lost the Copa del Rey final to Barcelona, making it unlikely that a Madrid player (Mbappé, Vinícius, or Bellingham) will win the Ballon d’Or this year.
The key may lie in whether Barcelona can win the treble. They’ve already secured the Copa del Rey, they lead La Liga by 4 points over Real Madrid, and the Champions League is still up for grabs after a 3–3 draw with Inter in the first leg.
If Barcelona wins the treble, a Barça player would likely take the Ballon d’Or — potentially Lewandowski, Raphinha, Pedri, or Lamine Yamal. If not, contenders from Liverpool, Arsenal, Inter, or PSG (like Dembélé) may enter the race.