Yamal netted twice in the first half and once after the break to become the youngest player to score their first hat-trick in the Spanish top-flight (18 years and 230 days old) in the 21st century. The feat also saw him become the first player of his age to score a treble in the Spanish top flight since 1967, further cementing his status as one of global football's elite talents. Only two players have ever registered a hat trick at a younger age, although you have to go back nearly 100 years to find them: José Iraragorri aged 17 years and 337 days in 1930 and Pablo Pombo aged 18 years and 200 days in 1934.
The numbers behind Yamal's season remain staggering, even with his admitted dip in form. His trio of goals against the Yellow Submarine took his season tally to 18 in 34 appearances across all competitions. Remarkably, this already equals his entire goal return from the previous season, achieved in 21 fewer matches. His milestone also placed him in the history books alongside legends from nearly a century ago, with only two players ever recording a La Liga hat-trick at a younger age.
