19 - Lamine Yamal

[vegitot]

Yeah Vinicius and Mbappe are both great players, but they're more reliant on speed, space, running in straight lines than Lamine is.

Lamine is quick but doesn't need to be. The way he twists and turns, nutmegs people or turns them inside out in small areas is very key to his ability to then find and open up space for others. Or find a quick yard for a shot. You'll notice he's better than those two at long range shots, not only because he's better at ball striking, but also because he more often can find a gap or a half-yard from range due to his superior trickery and close control and his ability to instantly shift the ball.

And that is just talking about the dribbling and ball control. In terms of passing and vision, Lamine vs them two is another Messi vs Ronaldo situation.

What's great about Lamine is his build too. He's quite tall, but he looks slender. I hope he doesn't bulk up or or fill out too much or anything because he is just the right body type for the player is. He's still strong while being slim.

This lad is one of the main things keeping me invested in football, after I started to lose some love for the game in recent years.

Agree with most but i don't think Yamal's striking is better than Mbappe. Not now yet.

 

[Maradona37]

Agree with most but i don't think Yamal's striking is better than Mbappe. Not now yet.

Thanks.

Fair enough. Just that video shows a lot of long range strikes. But obviously it's a reasonable point that Mbappe might have better ball striking.

 

[Windhook]

Agree with most but i don't think Yamal's striking is better than Mbappe. Not now yet.

Lamine's shots are much better placed, but not powerful as Mbappe.

 

[vegitot]

Lamine's shots are much better placed, but not powerful as Mbappe.

Mbappe's shooting is better though.

Yamal still can miss easy chance too often. Though toward the end of the season he already improved.

 

[draconifire]

And let the number 10 rotten with bum like Fati or similiar?

Yamal deserves the number 10 next season, for a lot of reasons.

No one is getting the number. And Fati is leaving the club.
Yamal can get it when he is 20 years old.

 

[draconifire]

The number is Lamine's once Ansu Fati is out of Barca. Also I believe there's a mandatory rule in La Liga for first team players to wear numbers from 1 to 25. In other words, there's no option to leave no. 10 unassigned for years until Lamine comes of age.

Didn't know about a rule like that.
If its there, then no point, the guy has to get it. But if it's not, I would like him to continue with the 19 number for a couple of more years.

 

[Fati_Future_BallonDor]

Mbappe's shooting is better though.

Yamal still can miss easy chance too often. Though toward the end of the season he already improved.

I would say:
Long distance: Yamal

Short distance: Mbappe

 

[ToranagaSama]

Next year with 18 years it's not that unlikely that he wins the CL and World Cup while being the best player of both competitions. He doesn't need to score 50+ goals, if he does that with performances like against Inter when it matters in semi finals and finals he'll already be a top 20 player of all time at 18.

Scary that it's not that unlikely to happen.

 

[Maradona37]

Next year with 18 years it's not that unlikely that he wins the CL and World Cup while being the best player of both competitions. He doesn't need to score 50+ goals, if he does that with performances like against Inter when it matters in semi finals and finals he'll already be a top 20 player of all time at 18.

Scary that it's not that unlikely to happen.

That would be incredible. To have won La Liga, the CL, the Euros and the World Cup (and maybe the Nations League and CDR for more minor trophies) at the age of 18/just turned 19.

It's a long road and there's a lot of work to do over the next 14 months for that happen, but it certainly is not beyond Barca, Spain and the kid himself.

Edit: also it's pretty cool his birthday is 13 July. He could be celebrating several more international finals around his birthday too

 

[Fati_Future_BallonDor]

You got to give credit to Xavi for believing in him and playing him at such young age. His first full season under Xavi he surprised us all but went abit quiet for the first few months as he had to adapt physically.

But then I remember a game Betis away january 2024 the shark scored a hattrick and Lamine had a great game seemed like he adapted physically and never looked back since.

yep Xavi must have seen the special talent of this dude, normally you dont give a 15 years old kid the chance to play with the 1st team of a tier 1 club

 

[Horatio]

Starting to remind me of thriller era mj when he started plucking eyebrows

 

[FCBarca]

yep Xavi must have seen the special talent of this dude, normally you dont give a 15 years old kid the chance to play with the 1st team of a tier 1 club

Xavi certainly gets credit but the reality is that there was concern at the club that Lamine might possibly not sign his first pro contract at 16 as a Mendes client and club in a financial mess left by Bartomeu

It was a great strategy during the season even before his first debut, platooning even for Juvenil A & UEFA Youth League earlier in the season and called up for B team. If Xavi doesn’t debut him months before his 16th birthday, maybe he doesn’t sign

 

[wisconsincule]

I give zero fucks if he wins the bdor but it is hilarious seeing Madrids fanbase melt down.

We just need him to stay healthy. He really is unreal. Feel like Im having deja vu from 15 years ago. Good stuff.

 

[soul24rage]

 

[jamrock]

He needs to chill with the Ronaldo celebrations.

He's probably mocking the Madridista,but still