X-ray of the best footballer in the world

BarcelonaCamp Nou. April 29, 2023. Barça has the match against Betis on track. One step closer to winning the 2022/23 La Liga title. A very young player comes out to warm up. The minutes tick by, and he keeps glancing at the coach to see if he'll decide to play him. At 10:40 p.m., Xavi Hernández announces the time has come. At 15 years and 291 days old, Lamine Yamal Nasraoui Ebana became the youngest player to debut for the Blaugrana first team. Two years later, the football world is surrendering to the latest talent to emerge from La Masia. A leading figure on and off the pitch, a full international with the Spanish national team, he already has five titles under his belt: two La Liga titles, one Copa del Rey, one Spanish Super Cup, and one European Championship. He's still a minor, although he's already figured in many of his quests to win the Ballon d'Or.

Lamine Yamal's goal at the RCDE Stadium, which paved the way for Barça to win the derby against Espanyol and seal the La Liga title, was the icing on the cake in a memorable season for a brazen footballer who fears nothing and no one. Xavi opened the door for him, and Hansi Flick has taken it upon himself to shape him, building an entire team around him. He has done everything else. He carried the team's weight and didn't fail in the big matches or at key moments of the season, such as in the four Clásicos against Real Madrid, where he was instrumental with three goals and two assists.

Lamine Yamal's fluidity in action, his ability to take on opponents time and time again, the intensity with which he plays every match, and his goalscoring prowess have earned him praise from around the world. "It's not just tricks with the ball. It's not a show. It's unleashed talent to escape from opponents and create space for himself or opportunities for his teammates. Watching it is an absolute delight. A talent that makes young and old fall in love with the game even more," praises journalist Henry Winter, Angla's representative.

Winning the Champions League and the Ballon d'Or are Lamine Yamal's goals.

In the Barça locker room, they explain that Lamine Yamal has very clear goals: to win the Champions League and the Ballon d'Or. And to do it soon. There's still a long way to go before the voting, but the Rocafonda-born winger's performances have catapulted him into the favorites. The award takes into account the player's importance in the titles and superlative achievements on the pitch. Voters are under strict orders not to give any clues about their vote before the award, although it's assumed he'll be at least on the podium for the prestigious award presented by the magazine. France FootballIn fact, in France, they believe the only player who could challenge him right now is Ousmane Dembélé, the former Barcelona winger who is enjoying the best season of his career with Paris Saint-Germain. Under Luis Enrique, he can win the Champions League on May 31st.

"For the Ballon d'Or, we vote for 100 journalists, and it's obvious we can't watch every game, only the most important ones. The tie against Inter could help him a lot," explains journalist Alfredo Relaño, a Spanish voter for the award. Lamine Yamal will be penalized by not being in either the Champions League final or the Club World Cup, but he will be in the Nations League finals. Being so young could cost him points, but, as Relaño clarifies, he's already two years into his career and "has left his mark," not only with Barça but also with the national team.

A meteoric rise after only two years of professional career

Lamine Yamal's debut with Barça wasn't entirely brilliant, although in just 10 minutes he had time to try a couple of dribbles that didn't pan out. The following season, still with Xavi on the bench, the winger would take over the right flank and begin to gain prominence. He played 50 matches and attempted 176 dribbles, 96 of which were successful (54%). This season, with 53 matches, he tripled his dribble attempts: 413, of which 233 were successful (56%). His greatest strength is that he can play with both feet and be decisive from different angles. "He's exceptional and has enormous technical qualities. His ease with his dribbles is impressive," says journalist Danilo Díaz, Chile's Ballon d'Or voter, also highlighting his "increasing" goalscoring ability. Last season he scored seven goals and assisted seven. This season he has participated in 37 goals: he has scored 17 and assisted 22.

Born on July 17, 2007, in Esplugues de Llobregat, but raised in the Rocafonda neighborhood of Mataró, Lamine Yamal is outspoken and unrestrained in a stance that some consider cocky. "When I stop winning, I'll stop being so bold," said the winger, who claims to feel no pressure on the pitch and to have "left my fear in Mataró Park." Active on social media and daring with hairstyle changes, he has become an icon at all levels. He is by far the player who sells the most Barça shirts. The club doesn't provide the figures, but stores explain that for every shirt sold for another player, they sell between five and ten Lamine Yamal shirts. This data is also corroborated by his market value, which the specialized website Transfermarkt estimates at 180 million euros: double what it was a year ago. Only Erling Haaland and Vinícius Jr. (200) are ahead of him.

Lamine Yamal is in fashion. He has already played 104 matches for Barça's first team and 19 for the national team. At his age, Leo Messi had only played nine and two, respectively. Comparisons are odious, and many wonder if he can be better than the Argentine star. "At only 17, that doesn't do him any good. Let's let Lamine Yamal be Lamine Yamal," says Henry Winter. And Danilo Díaz reminds him that he has homework to do, such as "improving his aerial game and gaining a lot of muscle." The latter is being taken care of at the Sports City. The final ingredient in the recipe is perseverance. For the rest, time will tell.