Although 16-year-old FC Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal is making waves in Spain right now, there are compelling reasons why we should not get too ahead of ourselves despite how impressive he's been so far!
The teenager is considered one of the hottest properties in Europe right now, having dominated the spotlight after manager Xavi Hernandez handed him a seven-minute cameo against Real Betis in April 2023 aged just 15 years, nine months and 16 days' old. This made the attacker the youngest debutant in LALIGA history, and one of only five players who made their first appearance in the Spanish top flight before turning 16, per FCBarcelona.com. Although he showed glimpses of his ability during that 4-0 win over Betis last season, the winger blossomed in pre-season and even more in the first few matches of the 2023/24 campaign, prompting massive hype that could possibly have a detrimental impact on his development in the long term.
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The football world has always been obsessed with "wonderkids", a term that originated in Germany (translated to English from "wunderkind") back in the 1800s used to describe a talented young person who achieves great success at a young age. Over the past few decades, the label has been attached to a plethora of emerging footballers, with a sizeable quantity of teenagers going on to live up to their potential, while perhaps an even greater number of them failing to reach the heights expected of them. Barca has had a fair share of the latter profile, with the likes of Alen Halilovic and Bojan Krkic unable to rise to expectations despite being touted as "the next Lionel Messi" at the Camp Nou.
The same argument could be made for another current Barca star in Ansu Fati, who was previously considered another La Masia pearl when he broke into the first team at the age of just 16 years, nine months and 25 days' old, almost one year older than Yamal was when he made his official debut four months ago. Fati has been heavily been linked with an exit in the current window, with manager Xavi having consistently shown a dimmed trust in him since taking over the reins in November 2021. This comes just three seasons after he was given the team's iconic No. 10 shirt, succeeding the likes of Messi, Ronaldinho, and Diego Maradona, among other legends who wore the famous jersey in Catalonia. This apparent fall from grace by Fati should signal to those around Barca not to burden Yamal with insane expectations, with many having witnessed how this can often jinx a youngster's development.
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Two assists in Yamal's first three games of the new season is certainly no small feat for a 16-year-old playing for arguably the biggest club in the world, but there shouldn't be too much pressure exerted on his shoulders too soon. For starters, comparisons to Messi, in particular, should be entirely avoided as it would suggest that Yamal will go on to have the same impact the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner did at the club. Also, given the increased number of matches in recent years, Xavi should carefully manage Yamal's load if he would like to avoid the blight of injuries that riddled Fati, especially if suggestions that he is set to be called up by Spain's senior national team next month prove true.
Born in Spain to a Moroccan father and a mother from Equatorial Guinea, he has reportedly chosen to represent his country of birth at senior level, having previously represented the nation from U15 to U19 level. If he does receive his first La Furia Roja call-up for their upcoming 2024 UEFA European Championship qualifiers and then plays, he would smash the record for the youngest debutant for the 2010 FIFA World Cup winners, currently held by his Blaugrana teammate Gavi at 17 years, two months and one day old.
This, of course, will likely only increase the hype around Yamal, but if he is to go on and live up to the lofty heights many already expect of him, his manager, club, fans and even country should not get carried away too soon and project their growing expectations on to him. Just let the boy play!
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