Who is Lamine Yamal? Here is everything you should know about rising star of FC Barcelona

Another Spanish wonderkid, another La Masia Talent, we have all been there before but Lamine Yamal isn't your average wonderkid and there is a lot more to him than what meets the eye. He definitely passes the eye test with ease though whether it be at Barca B or for the main Barcelona and the Spanish national team.

Lamine Yamal is a current Barcelona regular and Spanish International and is only 16 years old. What's more, he received his first international call up at only 16 months and 50 days and is one of the youngest players to debut for Barcelona at 15 years 9 months and 16 days old. The Spanish wonderkid with Moroccan and Equatorial Guinean heritage seems to be a bit of an imposter as ever since he was integrated into the first team by Xavi. He seems more and more similar to a little boy from Rosario who rocked up La Masia about 20 years ago.

In fact, he is so highly rated at Barcelona that on 2 October 2023, Lamine's contract was extended with Barcelona until 2026, with a buyout clause of €1 billion inserted to ward of any potential suitors for his signatures. And indeed, when too are breaking record left, right and centre. Goal Scoring records, champions league appearances records club records then it is more than obvious why he is rated so highly and has been thrusted into the limelight so early on in his career.

A couple of years back, a player very similar to Yamal broke out by the name of Ansu Fati, who after bursting onto the scene like Lamine ended up having injury problems. However now he is doing well on loan at Brighton and Barcelona would look to avoid the same mistake again with Yamal and burning him out at a young age. They will look to manage his minutes till he is physically ready to play week in week out without any dire consequences to his body.

Lamine Yamal is a left footed forward but can dribble with both of his feet which makes him very difficult to deal with and combined with his direct 1v1 ability makes him a nightmare for the opposition defenders. He is not only a dangerous dribbler but also an intelligent one at such a young age. He doesn't dribble for the sake of it but makes something happen each time he gets the ball.

Though it's his dribbling that gets him into the highlights packages reels, his ability to deliver the ball consistently with precision into the box and a powerful shot makes him an extremely effective weapon as a wide forward which makes sense as he indeed plays as an all round modern wide forward at Barcelona.

Out of possession, the 5'11 lad doesn't shy away from the challenges and is an active presser. His frame ensures that neither his abilities with regards to movement or change of direction are compromised nor is his physical growth drastically affected by injuries.

After Gavi, Ansu Fati and Alejandro Balde, the latest La Masia wonderkid to break into the Barcelona first team is Lamine Yamal and so far he has been exceptional for his age. The only way for him from here is up but there is always a cautionary tale of young Barcelona prodigies burning too bright only to falter  and burn out in their 20s with Bojan being a prime example. But unless injuries wreck his development, he seems to be a safe bet for Barcelona who will  dazzle the Camp Nou crowd for years to come.

Cover Credits- GOAL.com