How Lamine Yamal's Path to 20 Goals at Barcelona Compares to Lionel Messi’s
Lamine Yamal has netted 20 goals for Barcelona, but did he achieve this faster than Lionel Messi? Here’s what our calculations show.
After making a significant impact in the previous season, Yamal has elevated his performance even further this year under the guidance of Hansi Flick.
The teenager, who is 17 years old, has already secured his position as an essential member of the starting lineup and appears to be improving every week.
He succeeded in scoring his 20th goal for Barcelona During the weekend, as Flick’s team mounted an impressive comeback from being down by two goals to defeat Atletico Madrid with a score of 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 age," Rio Ferdinand mentioned recently on his YouTube channel.
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 undeniable.
Many notable talents began making significant strides around the age of 18. While some might have shown potential earlier, at 17, true excellence typically surfaced from those aged 18 and up. However, with Yamal, we've witnessed something unprecedented.
Messi made his first appearance for Barcelona’s senior team in 2004 at the age of 17, though he only became a regular fixture 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 took the 17-year-old more games to achieve 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 the future, I wholeheartedly concur that Lamine Yamal has been highlighted accordingly. He represents the current state and undoubtedly possesses immense promise for what lies ahead.
It’s hardly questionable that the young Spanish player is considered one of the top athletes globally, and his performance metrics support 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 for 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 per goal or assist: 148.9
Age: 19 years, 9 months, and 25 days
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