THis Lamine Yamal is far from the footballer who shone last season. This argument is repeated like a mantra among the Barcelona winger’s detractors. And he has them.
He was in the spotlight in September due to a pubic issue that caused him to miss up to five games for Barcelona this season, as well as his controversial call-up to the national team. The first question arose about his physical appearance. He no longer seemed to be the electric player who dribbled with insulting ease last season. The teenager who carried his team on his back in the Champions League semi-finals and captivated all of Europe with his performance. This precociousness led many to point out that this disruption was fleeting and destined to go downhill.
Lamine Yamal recreates Cristiano Ronaldo’s iconic goal celebration
Tiptoeing through the Bernabéu, despite the discomfort of a complicated injury, gave momentum to the story. However, after nearly half a year of competition, this gloomy prediction faded as the days passed. One need only look at Lamine’s numbers to see that the 18-year-old remains a crucial player in Hansi Flick’s side.
With his goal against Oviedo, Lamine now has 11 goals so far this season. In the first 26 games, he scored two more points than he did last season. Because at this stage of the season, Lamine had played the same number of games and scored only 9 goals. He is one goal away from matching his best LaLiga goal (nine goals in 2024-25) and is expected to surpass last season’s 18 goals, the most prolific of Barcelona’s short but intense career. At least Lamine still has 17 La Liga games, one Copa del Rey and three Champions League games left.
Top assist providers in La Liga
In any case, his position as a winger absolves him of direct responsibility for this goal-scoring performance. What he should be held responsible for is his influence on the game or his assists. And Ramin is king here. He has already provided the team with 12 passes leading to goals, nine of which have come in La Liga, making him the top assist provider in the Championship. Teammate Marcus Rashford is close behind with eight, followed by Luis Milla and Arda Güler with seven. His 12 assists in all competitions is only half way from the 25 he signed last season when he made an impact for Barça. In other words, if the youth players maintain this productivity, they will come very close to surpassing this mark by the end of the season. While his performance has been questioned, Lamine has delivered results. His influence on the game isn’t even worth discussing.
