Projections of Lamine Yamal's future talent are unimportant.
If his career ended today the winger would have achieved more than 99 per cent of footballers to play the game. In a couple of months, he may well add a continent treble to the LaLiga title, Spanish Cup and European Championship he already has in his cabinet.
Comparisons to Lionel Messi are redundant. As the teenager has been at pains to stress, 'the comparison makes [no] sense'. In fact, of late comparisons to Yamal, not Argentina great, feel unfair.
The winger's rise in the game over the past couple of years has been truly astounding. The precocious talent got his start in the Barcelona first team under former manager Xavi at a time when the Catalan club's financial mismanagement rendered them a laughing stock among European football's elite.
Amid the endless levers and failures to register signings for their league squads, Barca happened upon an extraordinary talent. Indeed, it appears La Masia's recent graduates - which include the likes of current first-teamers Gavi, Pau Cubarsi, Fermin Lopez, and Alejandro Balde - could rival the crop that spearheaded Pep Guardiola's stunning roster in the late 2000s.
Xavi reportedly played a key role in ensuring Yamal remained in Barcelona as French giants Paris Saint-Germain caught wind of the then-15-year-old's talent.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Xavi promised the teenager that he would give him first team minutes if he signed his first professional contract with the club. The Barcelona legend was good to his word and handed the youngster his debut in April 2023, when, at just 15 years, nine months, and 16 days old, he became the youngest player to represent the club.
Yamal too followed through on his commitment and penned his first pro deal that remarkably included a release clause worth €1bn (£868m).
'We're receiving crazy bids for players like Lamine Yamal around €200m and we're rejecting, of course,' said Barca president Joan Laporta last March. 'We trust Lamine and we don't need to sell'.
Forget his age, Yamal has enjoyed a two-year run very few players will ever experience.
His debut campaign yielded just those seven LaLiga minutes against Real Betis as Xavi's men secured the league title. The next season saw him become a favourite of football fans around the world but also attracted the unwanted attention - and peril - that often accompanies fame.
Yamal was born to Mounir Nasraoui and Sheila Ebana in 2007 and raised in the Spanish town of Mataro. During his startling Euro 2024 run, he continued to honour his hometown with his '304' celebration and his dad, an immigrant from Morocco, was a constant supporter.
But not long after the competition where his son had been named Young Player of the Tournament, Nasraoui was attacked in a car park and subsequently rushed to hospital.
According to La Vanguardia, local residents claimed Nasraoui got into an argument with some individuals while walking his dog, with the dispute resulting in a fight before Nasraoui was stabbed multiple times.
The 35-year-old was admitted to an intensive care unit in a serious condition but several hours after the shock stabbing was said to be stable. Catalan police confirmed four people were arrested shortly after the incident.
The episode, which took place a month after Spain's triumph over England in Berlin, would certainly have shaken Yamal and his family to their core. His parents, whose relationship ended in 2010, appear amicable publicly and have been ardent defenders of their son.
Nasraoui was discharged from hospital on August 16 and has continued to laud the teenager. He too had aspirations of becoming a footballer in Spain's professional ranks, but was unable to make the grade and subsequently moved into employment where he took up several jobs to make ends meet.
His stabbing marked the second post-Euro low for the youngster following the very public and messy breakdown of his relationship with TikTok star Alex Padilla.
Padilla had joined Yamal's family on the pitch of the Olympiastadion as La Roja celebrated their fourth continental crown in July. The pair were inseparable but just weeks later she was spotted seemingly sitting on another boy's lap in an Instagram live video which sparked a fevered speculation on the status of their relationship.
Padilla, who boasts a TikTok following of 1.9million, was in attendance for several of La Roja's group stage matches in Germany and was often seen sitting alongside the Barcelona winger's family.
According to the Sun, the couple had also jetted off to Milan and Greece as the 17-year-old made the most of his well-earned break. But their budding romance came to an abrupt end following the video on social media, with Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo claiming that Yamal unfollowed the influencer.
The footage of Padilla with another boy led some on the platform to accuse her of cheating on the footballer.
However, it appears that Yamal's tumultuous summer did little to affect his on-field performances. The winger returned to his club and set about producing a jaw-dropping campaign.
When it comes to the raw numbers, Yamal still has plenty of room to grow. In 49 appearances for the Blaugrana this term he has registered 15 goals and 24 assists.
What is more remarkable about the youngster is his ability to perform when the lights shine brightest.
'In the big matches, he shows up, and I think he enjoyed the situation,' said his manager Hansi Flick after his superb display in the 3-3 draw with Inter Milan on Wednesday night.
The German agreed with his counterpart Simeone Inzaghi's claim that the winger is a 'genius', adding: 'I’m really happy that this talent, if it only comes every 50 years like Simone said, I’m glad it’s for Barcelona.'
Wednesday's clash also marked the 100 appearances for the teenager in Barcelona colours. In that time he has 22 goals to his name and a further 27 assists.
Comparisons to Messi are understandable, indeed, they have been fueled by Yamal's own family. Last year his dad claimed that his son could be even greater than the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, while his mother took part in a now infamous charity calendar alongside the Argentina great, where he can be seen bathing a baby Lamine.
But too close of an inspection does neither any good in the long run. Football has drastically changed, even since Messi reigned supreme as the world's best not six years ago.
Yamal, a 17-year-old, already has commercial relationships with global brands including Beats Electronics, Powerade, the electronics company Oppo and Konami in addition to his huge deal with Adidas.
He is one of the most recognisable faces in the game and ascending at a time when one poor performance attracts torrents of derision on social media - and a great one can vault you into Ballon d'Or contention.
Progress isn't linear. There is no guarantee that Yamal will continue to improve for years to come. How much better can he? What is clear is that he is already among the finest footballers on the planet, perhaps even the very best.
Shmonny
16
Thierry Henry on Lamine Yamal: "What Lamine is doing now at the age of 17 is not normal. His calmness on the pitch, his sense of play, and what he brings to the team, even defensively, is all not normal at this age."