19 - Lamine Yamal

[Messi983]

Has surpassed Ansu (17y, 94d) and is now the youngest player in La Liga history with a brace (16y, 213d).

Also, only third player after Ansu and Iker Muniain to score at least two La Liga goals before turning 17.

 

[Don Juan Laporta Estruch]

He is already doing things at 16, which took all time greats years to be able to do.

His 2nd goal is probably the most difficult finish in the game as the margin for error is so small. That whipped finish in to the near post is something it took Messi 5 years to perfect, Henry 10 years and guys like Robben didn't ever perfect it at all.

I think even Barca fans are somewhat underrating just how good he is. If he adds a touch of pace and acceleration in the next few years, I think he will win the Ballon D'or in his career at least once.

He is that good.

 

[vegitot]

He is already doing things at 16, which took all time greats years to be able to do.

His 2nd goal is probably the most difficult finish in the game as the margin for error is so small. That whipped finish in to the near post is something it took Messi 5 years to perfect, Henry 10 years and guys like Robben didn't ever perfect it at all.

I think even Barca fans are somewhat underrating just how good he is. If he adds a touch of pace and acceleration in the next few years, I think he will win the Ballon D'or in his career at least once.

He is that good.

Think Fati scored similiar goal before.

No doubt Yamal is such special talent. Can be the world best in his prime, if nothing go wrong.

 

[feggydinho]

Think Fati scored similiar goal before.

No doubt Yamal is such special talent. Can be the world best in his prime, if nothing go wrong.

I don't see that (him becoming a world best), don't think he even gets to Mbappe's, Hazard's, or Neymar's prime level.
He's a great talent no doubt (could probably be as Lethal as Robben too), and I hope he proves me wrong.

 

[Fati_Future_BallonDor]

he reminds me of Mo Salah

 

[khaled_a_d]

he reminds me of Mo Salah

Old version maybe, but Salah was a speedster early on, one of the fastest attackers of his generation.

 

[TheStig]

Neymar is the best comparison if you only look on his style of play but even he isn't that similar since Ney was faster, flashier and a better finisher. He's kinda like Neymar with a brain and without the extra flair. He can win a ballon d'or in the next era, he's not competing with all time greats like Ney's generation did.

 

[El Barcelona]

My thoughts exactly.
Even today, a few months after his debut, he looks less promising than after his first 2-3 matches.

With young dribblers:
1. he can either improve in a linear way and get better and better each year
2. or, he can have his peak aged 17-18 and decline after that (like young Michael Owen from Liverpool, our former Croatian Messi Halilovic, or Ronaldo the Brazilian/Fati due to injuries etc)

A few factors for a possible decline:
1. players play at 120% or 150% in the first seasons when they want to prove themselves and earn a starting spot.
Later they play with 80-100% percent and their magical performances from the 1st season disappear.

2. some players are the fastest/lightest aged 16-17-18. After that they often grow a few centimetres, gain a lot of mass and muscles and they are nowhere near as fast or agile as aged 17.

3. possible injuries like with young Fati or Ronaldo the Brazilian

4. a new problem of a modern era: young players getting the fame too early (aged 17-18) and due to social media, they are way more exposed to everything than players in the 70s, 80s, 90s or 00s.
And it is easy to lose your head soon. Since: it seems as if you have already won it all aged 18, so why bother and train hard?

5. the same is with money. Young players are signing crazy contracts aged 18, in order for clubs to keep them from City, Chelsea, Psg.
And the same as with social media, a lot of kids lose their heads and drop massively.

6. women, partying, alcohol in upcoming years

7. also there is a factor of young players getting too much space in their 1st season because no one takes them seriously.
And if they turn into starters after 1-2 years, then the opponents start to take them seriously, start to tackle them way harder, they get less room and suddenly it's a night and day compared to time and space they were getting in their first season

8. pressure: for anyone who is following Barcaforum or any football forum in a modern era, we have seen the same cycle repeating for every new player/gem:
1) at first he is overhyped. Whatever he does, it is overblown. And yet his flaws are overlooked and brushed off like: he is young, he will improve. Ffs, he is 16/17!
2) after 6-12-24 months: fans slowly lose their pink glasses and they start to notice player's flaws, stagnation in some areas etc
3) then on social media, in papers, on matches, the player starts to get the first negative reactions/comments/boos.
And while this is normal and all players (in 80s or 90s) had to go through these problems and critics, imo it is way harder today because the players get way more unreasonably hyped in the early days due to forums/social media/crazy fans with unrealistic hopes for every young kid.

So, in numbers, imo, a young kid in 1992' from Barca was overhyped by 120-130% compared to his realistic skills.
While kids today are overhyped to insane levels (remember those Twitter channels from that Navidjaan user and similar), like at 200-300% compared to their real abilities.

And imo, the fall in the 90s was smaller. Because the players were only "slightly" overhyped (at 120-130%, let's say).
While today, this is crazy.
Every new kid is a new Messi, a new 10, a new savior, a future Ballon D Or, his buyout clause is 1 Billion, he gets 5 million followers in a few months etc.

So, imo, today you need a way higher mental strength as an overhyped kid than 20-30 years ago, to overcome all this crazyness and to survive once when the fans turn against you, which will come in 1-2-3 years (Fati, Puig, Alena, Oriol, Dembele, Arthur, anyone).

So, it's a long way for Yamal to stay on the current level, and especially for improving.

I'm actually interested in what's your thoughts about him now? Saw that this was your last post in his thread about him. I can remember you had some good points about him in the past so I'm curious if there is something changed. One example is that I noticed a big change in his balcontrole, the ball stays much closer to his feet compared to last season/start of the season.

 

[vegitot]

he reminds me of Mo Salah

Yamal likes to pass more. He is more of a playmaker. His through ball, choice of pass is already good despite being super young.

I think Yamal will move into central role in the future. Neymar also the same.

 

[vegitot]

I don't see that (him becoming a world best), don't think he even gets to Mbappe's, Hazard's, or Neymar's prime level.
He's a great talent no doubt (could probably be as Lethal as Robben too), and I hope he proves me wrong.

Depend on what level football is at his time, of course.

 

[mc_lovin]

Neymar is the best comparison if you only look on his style of play but even he isn't that similar since Ney was faster, flashier and a better finisher. He's kinda like Neymar with a brain and without the extra flair. He can win a ballon d'or in the next era, he's not competing with all time greats like Ney's generation did.

Do people pull these evaluations out of their asses? Did you compare 16 years old Neymar to him?

For me it's virtually impossible to predict. No clue where Yamal will end up.

 

[Porque]

Lamine has looked great lately in a dysfunctional attack. Got an eye for the pass too. Hopefully we get to see more of him and Roque.

 

[TheStig]

Do people pull these evaluations out of their asses? Did you compare 16 years old Neymar to him?

For me it's virtually impossible to predict. No clue where Yamal will end up.

Only his style of play, which other player is he most similar to? Even at 16 we can say his profile is closer to Neymar than Ramos, right?

 

[CatalinR10]

?????

First this , now there's pictures of him in a Real Madrid jersey surfacing the social media.

Football fans are taking the piss at us.

SMH.

 

[Bran the Greenseer]

Only his style of play, which other player is he most similar to? Even at 16 we can say his profile is closer to Neymar than Ramos, right?

I think he is similar to Neymar but with less flair, but its also fair to say that he was better at Neymar at the same age.
Can we even say that Neymar's first season in La Liga at an older age has been better than Yamal this season? There were times when he took over games especially when Messi was out for parts of the first half of that season but he was shaky and definitely getting used to it whereas I think everyone can comfortably say Yamal has been our best attacker for months now and arguably our best player overall given whatever the hell is going on with Araujo and our backline rn, again at a younger age than any of our young promising attackers have done this since atleast what 2003? (Only became a fan back then)

On another note, I hope they really start using him as a super sub when we really need him. He has best player in the world at 21/22 potential if we can keep him healthy and motivated.