Lamine Yamal far ahead of Messi!

At just 17 years, 3 months, and 13 days old, the young fenom Lamine Yamal has already outpaced the legendary Lionel Messi. At the same age, the Argentine star had yet to play an official match, with only seven friendlies under his belt.

Leo Messi made his official debut for FC Barcelona on October 16, 2004, in a derby against Espanyol at 17 years, 3 months, and 22 days old. Up to that milestone, he had only appeared in friendlies with the first team. In total, he played seven friendlies, including matches against Porto (his debut at 16 years, 4 months, and 24 days), Banyoles, Figueres, Palamós (where he scored his first goal), Hércules, Kashima Antlers (where he scored again), and Olympique de Marseille.

Messi gentle start to his star soccer career

It’s clear that Messi’s former manager, Frank Rijkaard, was carefully nurturing the young star, taking a slow-and-steady approach to Messi’s grand entrance into the soccer world. But today’s game has little patience for that level of restraint; young talents are breaking boundaries at a pace once unthinkable. Lamine Yamal is the best example of this trend. At 17 years, 3 months, and 13 days, he’s already become a global star—highly coveted by Europe’s top clubs, with one rumored offer reaching a staggering €250 million just six months ago. Now a leading force for both club and country, Yamal capped off his summer by winning the Euro Championship. And today he’s playing in the Clásico against Real Madrid.

His blend of audacity and overwhelming skill makes Lamine Yamal as rare as he is remarkable. In fact, at his current age, Messi was still 11 days away from achieving his dream of an official debut. Not only has Yamal already made his debut over a year ago, but his top-tier performance has driven him to the forefront of world football. Currently, he has 64 official first-team appearances with 12 goals and 7 assists. In those numbers alone, Yamal has surpassed Messi’s early record, with two more matches on the horizon against Real Madrid and Espanyol to further boost these impressive stats.

Yamal  compared to Messi

With such an extraordinary advantage in terms of starting early, the first meaningful comparisons between Yamal and Messi may begin in a matter of weeks. If things continue on this trajectory, Yamal could eventually break many of the records set by the Argentine icon, especially in games played and potentially in assists. Matching Messi’s legendary 672-goal total, however, may be a bridge too far for any mortal. Still, if there’s a player edging ever closer to the divine, it’s undoubtedly Lamine Yamal.