Lamine Yamal is La Masia through and through. At least, that's what we are told. It comes from adidas, who crafted a whole campaign around the winger's Barcelona roots - complete with a shot in his reimagined childhood bedroom adorned with Blaugrana posters. It comes from countless pundits and journalists, who so often compare Yamal to Barca legends of old. It comes from the player himself, who throws up a Catalan area code every time he celebrates one of the goals in his increasingly-impressive catalogue.
There hasn't been a singular moment that has defined the winger's young career so far, but there is no doubt about his rapid rise. With every game, there are multiple new pieces of skill, or fresh angled passes into team-mates that take the breath away. The individual achievements and records have come too quickly to count, and too regularly to properly acknowledge. Instead, we are left admiring a footballer who looks well beyond his 16 years. That is why he finished atop the NXGN 2024 list of the world's best teenage footballers, becoming the youngest to ever do so.
Plenty of youngsters burn bright for brief moments, enjoying weeks or months of quality before fading away. Yamal, though, is here to stay; a talismanic attacking presence who is not only Barcelona's best player already, but also the great hope of the Spanish game for years to come.
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