Yamal’s 17 Contributions: Has He Surpassed Messi and Mbappe’s 19-Year-Old Footballer Mark?

Yamal’s strong season start

Eight weeks into the club season, Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal has impressed with performances that include incisive runs on the right flank and two assists within three minutes in a European match. He also received the player of the match award.

Yamal has 17 goal contributions after 10 games. His current-season total is higher than the figures cited for Messi and Mbappe over their respective first 10 games in the seasons described.

Comparisons with Messi and Mbappe

Messi recorded 14 goal contributions—eight goals and six assists—in the 2008-09 season, when he won his first Ballon d’Or as a 19-year-old. Mbappe, then 19, had 12 goals and four assists in his first 10 games, for 16 contributions.

Yamal and Messi have both scored braces in their first five La Liga games, but in different seasons and at different ages. Messi achieved the run as a 25-year-old in 2012-13; Yamal has done so this season.

A spotlight on Barcelona’s forward

Flick also noted that Yamal is attracting widespread attention, while saying Barcelona have several top-quality players. The article says Yamal’s current-season goal tally exceeds that of three other La Liga teams.

A meeting from Yamal’s infancy

Messi met Yamal when the latter was five months old, during a UNICEF fundraising photo shoot at Camp Nou. A picture of the two later went viral this year. The story also describes a final that drew attention to a contest between 39-year-old Messi and 19-year-old Yamal, likened to a master-versus-apprentice clash.