Lamine Yamal: The making of the NXGN 2024 winner

Before his breakout year, Yamal had been lurking in the shadows of La Masia for years, and there were signs from a young age that he would be able to succeed where others fall by the wayside.

Yamal joined La Masia at the age of five, and by the time he tured 13, he was among the better players in matches involving the club's Under-16s. "Two years ago, he played with my son in the same team," recalled former Blaugrana striker Patrick Kluivert to GOAL when asked about his first impressions of Yamal. "You already could see that he's got real quality."

Juvenil A coach Oscar Lopez echoed his sentiment, telling Sport in September 2022: "He is always asking questions, he has a very good predisposition to evolve. You have to treat him calmly and not rush."

By the time he was 15, Yamal was already training regularly with the Barca first team having caught Xavi's eye, and once the calendar turned to 2023, it seemed a matter of time before the winger got his chance to impress on the biggest stage.

Yamal can blame Ousmane Dembele for adding a tinge of disappointment to his Barcelona debut. The then-15-year-old was introduced for the final 10 minutes of the Blaugrana's 4-0 drubbing of Real Betis, and steadily went about picking the opposition defence apart. He fired a shot on goal that was neatly saved, and he should have had an assist, too, after playing a teasing ball behind the Betis defence, only for Dembele to fluff the chance in dramatic fashion.

In the grander scheme of things, that game didn't really matter for Barca, who had already sealed a first league title in three years. Handing Yamal his debut was merely a reward for him appearing in numerous matchday squads through the season despite not ever coming close to making an appearance. For Yamal, though, those few minutes were vital

"I went out to warm-up and when I entered the field, my ears popped, I couldn't hear anything, it was like a minute, but in my legs it seemed like an hour," he said last month.

Once he had settled down, what he did produce was enough to give Xavi food for thought. Although Yamal didn't play again that season - there were seven matchdays left and the Barca coach had depth at his preferred position on the right of the attack - the hype train was beginning to leave the station.

It was not until August 8, 2023, that Yamal would play for the Barca first team again in Catalunya, and when he did step out onto the pitch, he did so at a time when the team were playing miserably.

Hosting Tottenham in the annual Joan Gamper Trophy pre-season game at the Olympic Stadium, Xavi's side had toiled their way through the first half. Ange Postecoglu, early in his Spurs tenure and still adjusting to life without Harry Kane, had his team in full flow by contrast. After an hour, the visitors led 2-1. A more clinical team would have scored four.

After 75 minutes, Xavi released his young ace on the right-wing, and things immediately turned around. Yamal ran a leggy Sergio Reguilon ragged, twisting and turning around him while gliding into space, and finding the kind of minute passing angles needed to unlock a defence that had refused to falter. He assisted the equaliser, feeding Ferran Torres for an easy finish, and then started the moves that led to both the third and the fourth Barca goals. If the final scoreline looked impressive, it was because a fearless 16-year-old made it so.

It all provided a platform for the many unfriendly comparisons that followed. Eagle-eyed Cules noted that 18 years previously, in the same glorified friendly, a certain Lionel Messi turned in an equally scintillating showing to down Juventus.

"Since Leo Messi against Juventus in his first Gamper, nothing like him (Yamal) has been seen," claimed the live blog from SPORT in the aftermath's of Yamal's stunning cameo.

And that could have been it. There was every chance that Barca could have left Yamal on the bench to start the season, and instead used him as an impact player off the bench while protecting his spindly teenage legs. Perhaps they should have. Even now, for all of his brilliance, there remains a real fear around Barca and their recent usage of young talent.

But twists of fate - and the right elbow of Raphinha - forced Yamal into the starting picture. The Brazilian was Xavi's clear first choice for the position, but he earned himself a silly sending-off in the season opener for lashing out at a Getafe defender. When Xavi examined his squad for the following week, he had no choice but to throw Yamal into the fire.

So started the kind of run that caused heads to turn. The teenager was Barca's most apparent threat in a 2-0 win over Cadiz before he turned in a Man-of-the-Match-worthy showing against Villarreal the next week after, as he provided his first Blaugrana assist before cracking a shot off the upright that would surely have been one of the goals of the season.

Xavi heaped praise on his newest talent after the final whistle of that 4-3 comeback win. "He is a very good player. Very unbalancing, very electric, a difficult opponent to cover. He has a great future," the Blaugrana boss said.

Yamal, for his part, played down the hype, saying: "I will take advantage of every opportunity that the manager gives me. I'm not afraid. I try to play football, which is what I do best."

But heads had already turned. Barca academy coach and former defender Rafa Marquez praised him, while other legends chimed in. "Lamine is one of the players of the next 10 years. He can be a very important player in the future," Javier Mascherano told GOAL.

By the time the end of August came, a Spain call-up felt inevitable. Yamal may have only played 239 minutes of La Liga football - and started just three games - but La Roja boss Luis de la Fuente was eager to bring him into the national set-up. "He looks like he has been touched by the wand of God. He is different,” De la Fuente said at a press conference after revealing his squad for the September 2023 international break.

There were those who voiced their concerns at whether Yamal really needed to be included at such a young age, especially given the injury issues that were threatening to ruin the careers of Ansu Fati and Pedri after they had become key men for both club and country at a similarly young age. And so when he was left on the bench for Spain's Euro 2024 qualifying clash with Georgia, those same critics breathed a sigh of relief.

It wouldn't last, however. After Dani Olmo picked up a knock late in the first half, Yamal was introduced to become the youngest debutant in Spain national-team history. In the space of 46 minutes, he created two chances and scored a memorable goal, placing a fine curler into the top corner to mark his debut in style by breaking Gavi's record as Spain's youngest-ever goal-scorer.

A maiden start followed just a few days later, and by the end of that window it was clear: Yamal needs to be a regular for his country going forward.

Since then, things have only improved. Although Xavi has managed Yamal's minutes carefully, the Blaugrana are clearly a better side when the 16-year-old is on the pitch. He scored first first La Liga goal - thus becoming the competition's youngest-ever scorer - against Granada in early October, and came off the bench to net the winner against Osasuna on January 11.

Then, on February 11, he delivered his first signature La Liga performance. Barca were beyond poor against Granada, and appeared to on their way to an embarrassing home defeat against a team that was languishing in the relegation zone. Yamal changed it all, scoring twice while creating countless chances to help secure a dramatic draw.

He then scored a magnificent 72nd-minute winner against Mallorca in early March that drew yet more Messi comparisons, and in the games in between, he has comfortably been Barca's most apparent attacking threat, a player that no defender or opposition coach can seem to figure out. Xavi has benched the 16-year-old for two of Barca's last four games - undoubtedly a shrewd move given the minutes have piled up and their title hopes are all-but over - but when it comes to the crunch, Barcelona need Yamal..

In 2023-24 thus far, Yamal has tallied eight goals and four assists for club and country, while his progressive carries, successful take-ons and shot creating actions are among the best in the world at his position. The energy to contribute to the team's defensive effort is there too, with Yamal ranking in the 97th percentile for tackles, 93rd for interceptions and 98th for blocks, according to FBRef. These are not normal numbers for any player, never mind a 16-year-old playing his first season of senior football for one of Europe's biggest and best teams.

Still, there are problems. Watch Yamal, and you will see a player who looks physically exhausted at the end of every game - equal parts testament to his work rate and the strain put on his young legs. He has played over 2,000 minutes this season for club and country - and will likely shoulder more in the Euros this summer as Spain push for glory.

No one can seem to cool the expectations that surround him, either. De la Fuente, in a masterclass of failing to control emotions, likened Yamal to both Messi and Diego Maradona within one seven-second soundbite. There is no hiding anymore.

And perhaps that is a good thing. Barcelona have struggled their way through this season, and need an X-factor to carry them into a new era. Spain, meanwhile, are in the hunt for their next golden boy - a classy attacking player to serve as a razor-sharp edge for a controlled, possession-based side. Yamal, sharp tuns, clever cuts, adidas sponsorships and all, is to be enjoyed.

Those fears about load management and injury risk will never go away, and if he continues to play so much, they might just come to fruition. But this is a generational talent, finding his way in the footballing world, and wreaking havoc on defenders both domestically and on the continent in the process.