Lamine Yamal has now netted 20 goals for Barcelona, but did he achieve this faster than Lionel Messi? We've done the calculations.
After making a significant impact last season, Yamal has elevated his performance even further this year under the guidance of Hansi Flick.
The teenager, just 17 years old, has quickly become an essential part of the starting lineup and his performance appears to improve with every match.
He succeeded in scoring his 20th goal for Barcelona Over the weekend, as Flick’s team mounted an impressive comeback from being down by two goals to defeat Atletico Madrid 4-2.
In addition to netting 20 goals for Barcelona, Yamal has delivered 24 assists and remains among the top playmakers in Europe.
While Messi He was also referred to as a 'prodigy' during his early years, but he didn't become a regular fixture in the first team at Barcelona until he reached 18 years of age.
"Cristiano Ronaldo was not engaged in activities like those of Lamine at the same stage of his career," Rio Ferdinand mentioned on his YouTube channel lately.
Ronaldo Nazário, Messi, Neymar, Mbappé, Owen, Zidane, Ronaldinho... none of these players have demonstrated the level of consistency and persistence exhibited by this young talent. This is indeed true.
Many renowned artists began showcasing their exceptional talent around the age of 18. While some might have shown promise at 17, true greatness was typically evident from 18 onwards. However, with Yamal, we've witnessed something unprecedented.
Mesi made his first-team appearance with Barcelona in 2004 at the age of 17, but he only became a regular player during the 2005–06 season.
In contrast, Yamal debuted at Barcelona when he was 15 years old and has swiftly become a consistent starter for the team.
Hence, it likely won't be surprising to know that Yamal reached his 20th career goal at an earlier age compared to Messi.
Nevertheless, it required the 17-year-old more matches to net 20 goals than his Argentine rival.
Yamal scored his 20th club goal in his 89th appearance for Barcelona, whereas Messi only took 62 games to reach the 20-goal landmark.
"There's an amazing group of young players who have many years still ahead," Messi stated at an Adidas press conference last year.
If I must select an individual based on their age and potential for what lies ahead, I fully concur that Lamine Yamal has been highlighted. He represents the current state and undoubtedly possesses immense promise for the future.
It is hardly questionable that the young Spaniard now stands amongst the elite players globally, with his foundational statistics supporting this claim.
Below is the complete timeline detailing how long it took Yamal to score his 20th goal for Barcelona alongside Messi.
The duration it took for Yamal to score 20 goals at Barcelona was:
Games: 89
Goals: 20
Assists: 24
Goal contributions: 44
Penalties: 0
Minutes per goal: 302.8
Time per goal or assist: 137.6
Age: 17 years, 8 months, and 3 days
The duration it took for Messi to score 20 goals at Barcelona was:
Games: 62
Goals: 20
Assists: 5
Goal contributions: 25
Penalties: 0
Minutes per goal: 186.1
Time taken per goal or assist: 148.9
Age: 19 years, 9 months, and 25 days
READ NEXT: It’s hard to fathom how Lionel Messi managed to guide this surprising Barcelona squad to claim the La Liga championship.
TRY A QUIZ: The Definitive Lionel Messi Quiz: 30 Challenging Questions to Test Your Expertise on the G.O.A.T.