A Star is Born

Wonderkid

This kid is a star. Lamine Yamal. He is 17 years old and was born in Barcelona, Spain. And at 17 years old he is competing at the world’s biggest stage. The biggest sport, on one of the biggest teams, competing for one of the biggest countries. You think the pressure of a high school soccer game is too much to handle? Imagine playing in the European Championship final against England while 24 million people sit behind a screen eagerly watching you play. That is pressure. 

Lamine Yamal began his soccer career at FC Barcelona for the academy team called La Masia. La Masia is famous for developing young players into superstars at a very young age. At just six years of age was Lamine Yamal taken into La Masia and playing for FC Barcelona. Lamine’s talent was evident from the beginning as he played up two divisions, meaning that at 15 years old he competed against 17 year old men. His first introduction to the first team of FC Barcelona, the one we all watch on TV, came when he was just 15 years old. He was described after the game as an electric youth talent, and the coach at the time, Xavi Hernandez, told reporters that Lamine would be a star. 

And Xavi was right. Lamine proceeded, in the following year, to earn a starting spot on FC Barcelona at just 16 years of age. He contributed seven goals and nine assists over the course of the season, a number not too large yet significant given the fact that he played at such a high level for his age. 

It was this season where the name Lamine Yamal came on to the scene. The European Championship was this summer. It’s a tournament where all the top countries in Europe, like Spain, Germany, England, and France, compete for a chance to win and assert themselves as the best team in Europe. Representing your country is a big deal for any player, and to do so as a 16 year old while starting is a huge deal. And to be the top assister in the tournament and to go on and win it is a massive deal. Lamine scored a beautiful goal in the semi-final against France, a curler into the top left corner, to win the goal of the tournament, and he even won young-player of the tournament. 

Some people think that it was just the performance of a lifetime and he will burn out too quickly. Others think he is the next Messi. What teams have learned from the past, however, is that playing young footballers too much is simply too exhausting for them, leading to injuries that only slow player development. Take the likes of Pedri, a young star who has been injured more games than he has played. Or Gavi, a 20 year old who tore his ACL and missed an entire year. Despite his dominance on the field, Lamine will have to spend more time on the bench than on the field to ensure his health for the future. Barcelona have a real gem on their hands, but it’s up to them on how they should spend it.

Will Frank