'Best display since Lionel Messi' - Reliving the match where Barcelona knew Lamine Yamal was ready to take the world by storm

There had been a sense within La Masia for some time that Yamal would be a star. Xavi called him into training as a 14-year-old, having the winger - then basically still a child - work with the first team in September 2022. And even then, there was a sense that a senior debut wasn't too far off, as Yamal spent most of the 2022-23 season proving that he was already too good for first Barca's youth sides, and then their reserve team, Barca Athletic.

There was a certain romanticism to all of this. Yamal, for better or worse, had spent his life intrinsically connected with Lionel Messi. There were the easy comparisons in terms of position and playing style - both were languid left-footers who liked to operate off the right. But there were also freakish coincidences that seemed to point to something larger.

A baby Yamal had been photographed in the arms of Messi as a child, while another photo later emerged of a 12-year-old Yamal - ironically wearing Spurs sweatpants - standing next to Barca's best ever. This all seemed too good to be true.

Barca Atletic coach Rafa Marquez believed in the narrative and reportedly urged Xavi to hand Yamal a first-team debut in the early months of 2023 until his moment arrived in April. Barca wrapped up the league title early, allowing Xavi to introduce some new faces into the fold, and Yamal was among the first.

Then 15, he became Barcelona's youngest-ever player when he made his maiden appearance against Real Betis in a comprehensive 4-1 victory. He played just seven minutes of that contest, and lined up on his less-preferred left-wing, but he still made an impact, and had the painfully erratic Ousmane Dembele not squandered a good opportunity, Yamal might have marked his debut with a memorable assist. A good save from the Betis goalkeeper denied him of what seemed certain to be a debut goal, too. Still, Xavi heaped praise on the teenager after.

"I told him to try things and he did. At 15 years old, just imagine it... He is special and he could have even scored tonight... He played with confidence and he showed what he is about. He has no fear and bags of talent. Some of his passes in the final third were really good," the manager said.

Although Yamal didn't see the pitch for the rest of the season, everything was set up nicely for what was to come.

The Gamper Trophy appeared to be the perfect game for Yamal to start. It was pre-season, and with some of Barca's biggest names still not quite fully-fit, there was ample room for a teenager to test himself for at least 45 minutes against Premier League opposition. Instead, Yamal was held back.

To their credit, Ange Postecoglu's Spurs pieced together an excellent first 45 minutes. They were coasting at the Olympic Stadium, and good value for their 2-1 lead at the break after Oliver Skipp netted twice in reply to Robert Lewandowski's early opener. The scoreline stayed the same through the first 30 minutes of the second half, and Yamal's introduction with 15 minutes to go seemed to come too late to make much of a difference to the result.

Yeah, right. Yamal needed less than two minutes to dart down the right wing, outrun half of the Spurs defence, and assist Ferran Torres to equalise. He then spent the rest of the contest toying with the north London club, running rings around Sergio Reguilon while drawing fouls out of Gio Lo Celso and harrying the Spurs backline whenever they had the ball.

He was involved in every good Barca thing from the game, playing key roles in the third and fourth goals, scored by Ansu Fati and Abde Ezzalzouli, respectively. Yamal, it's fair to say, had arrived.

The reaction was as measured as you'd expect from a media landscape surrounding one of the biggest clubs in the world that was thirsting for a superstar. Spanish tabloids claimed that Yamal's performance - despite coming over just 15 minutes of football - was the best since Messi's breakout in the same fixture against Juventus 20 years previously.

Comparisons to the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner were soon being thrown around on an almost daily basis, as the media, as well as former and current pros around Spanish football, all had their say. It is perhaps for that reason that Xavi waved off calls for the winger to start in the early weeks of the season, as he instead opted to start the oft-maligned Raphinha in his team's opening La Liga game of the campaign.

Xavi's hand, though, was soon forced. Raphinha lashed out at an opponent in Barca's first game of the season against Getafe, and swiftly earned himself a sending off and suspension. Yamal wasn't brought on until the 76th minute of that game, but his impact was nearly immediate. In the 80th minute, a sublime piece and skill and delicate dink created a perfect goal-scoring opportunity for Fati, but Spain international missed the chance, and Barca settled for a 0-0 draw that set the tone for their underwhelming campaign.

Raphinha's absence left spot for Yamal to fill, and he took up the mantle in spectacular fashion. He started Barca's next game - a 2-0 win over Cadiz - and was then the best player on the pitch in a 4-3 victory over Villarreal a week later. Raphinha's return, however, changed things, and Yamal was sent back to the bench - much to the chagrin of some fans. It soon became clear, though, that he was too good to be left out, and by the time it came to the biggest games of the season - the Champions League quarter-finals - Xavi was finding ways to cram both the teenager and the Brazilian into his team, shifting Raphinha to the left so as to allow Yamal to dazzle on the right.

Spain had little choice by the time it came to Euro 2024, as Yamal was simply too good to ignore. He had become the youngest international in the country's history in September, and by the tournament in Germany came around, he was a bona fide starter for Luis de la Fuente. Yamal and fellow winger Nico Williams subsequently tore up the tournament - adding some necessary flair to what was otherwise an admittedly drab six-week affair - and carried Spain to a mightily deserved win.

Though only just 17, Yamal is now at the stage of his career where his every movement will come under scrutiny as the best young talent since Kylian Mbappe looks to back up a remarkable 12 months at the very pinnacle of the game. He's come a long way since that Gamper Trophy cameo against Tottenham, but after what followed it, there is no doubt that that game will be spoken about for decades as the moment a global superstar of the future first announced himself in Catalunya.