One of the names of the 2023/24 season has to be Lamine Yamal. During his first full season with the first team, the number 27 left many youngest player records in his wake. A difference-maker in every game he has featured in, the La Masia graduate has accumulated 17 records while wearing the FC Barcelona jersey.
Unprecedented milestones that add to what he achieved during his debut season as an FC Barcelona player. It was two seasons ago now when Lamine Yamal first took to the field at the Spotify Camp Nou against Real Betis, making him the youngest player ever to debut for Barça. An appearance at the age of 16 years old that set the tone for the trailblazing path to come. His nonchalant approach belies his youthful age, enabling him to put on a wonderful show during both 2023 and 2024.
Youngest player to start a LaLiga game
The blaugrana fans only had to wait two games to witness Lamine Yamal's first record of the 2023/24 season. During Barça's first home game in LaLiga, the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys bore witness to another milestone for the La Masia player. Aged 16 years and 38 days old, he became the youngest player of the 21st century to start a LaLiga game; surpassing the record set by Fabrice Olinga with Malaga in 2012. He also put in a worthy performance during that win against Cadiz.
Youngest player to provide an assist in LaLiga
Just a few days later, aged 16 years and 45 days old, he earned the right to be called the youngest player this century to provide an assist in LaLiga. A cross perfectly placed onto Gavi head wrote his name into the history books at the Estadi de la Ceràmica during the match that ended Villareal 3 - Barça 4.
Youngest blaugrana debut in the Champions League
We now leave LaLiga and turn to the Champions League, another competition where Lamine Yamal has delighted. His age of 16 years and 68 days old during the group stage at Montjuïc against Royal Antwerp (5-0) again proved to be a new record, making him the youngest player to ever debut for FC Barcelona in the Champions League, surpassing previous holder Ansu Fati. The number 27 didn't end up becoming the youngest ever in the competition's history that September 19 though, as Youssoufa Moukoko from Borussia Dortmund continues to hold that record, having made this debut aged 50 days younger.
Youngest starter in Champions League memory
Aged 16 years and 83 days old, he did become the youngest ever starter in Europe's premier club competition. Do Dragão was the stage where he broke this particular record during the close win against Porto, a record that had stood since 1994, when Celestine Babayaro (Anderlecht) started aged 16 years and 86 days old. As such, the blaugrana beat the record by just three days.
Youngest Liga goalscorer
On 8 October 2023, Yamal enjoyed the experience of scoring for Barça for the first time ever. And it was no ordinary goal. At just 16 years and 87 days, he had just become the youngest goalscorer for any team in La Liga history, beating the previous holder, Fabrice Olinga of Malaga, by just 11 days. It happened in a game away to Granada.
Youngest Clásico player
Later that same month, on October 28, he became the youngest player ever to appear in a Clásico, beating the record held by another blaugrana, Vicenç Martínez. However, unlike Martínez, Lamine came on as substitute in his game. For the Clásico immediately after he was in the starting line-up, but by then he was older than Martínez, who remains the youngest player to ever start a game between the famous rivals.
Youngest Champions League assist
Almost every time Lamine Yamal did anything new on a football field he was also setting some kind of record! At the age of 16 years and 153 days in a game away to Antwerp, he became the youngest player ever to provide a Champions League assist when he set up Ferran Torres, thus surpassing a record previously in the hands of Bojan Krkic.
Youngest Spanish Super Cup debutant
A new season and a new record as Lamine Yamal became the youngest player ever to feature in a Spanish Super Cup match. That was in the semi-final against Osasuna. At 16 years and 182 days, he was even younger than Ansu Fati had been when he first appeared in the contest.
Youngest scorer too
Not only that, but he also scored the second of Barça's two goals. Naturally that also made him the youngest player ever to claim a goal in the competition's history.
Youngest scorer this century in the Copa del Rey
Even Lamine himself was probably finding it hard to keep count of the different records he'd broken as 2024 got off to a prolific start with a goal against Athletic Club in the Copa del Rey on 24 January 2024. At 16 years and 195 days he was the youngest player to score in the Spanish Cup this century.
Youngest brace in La Liga
The extraordinary 3-3 draw with Granada was another record-breaking day because Lamal scored not once but twice, and at 16 years and 213 days that made him the youngest player ever to score twice in the same Liga fixture. The first was a right-footed conversion of a João Cancelo assist and he followed that with a stunning strike from the edge of the opposing area.
First U17 to score three league goals
That meant he had now scored three league goals in total, which was a tally that no player before him had reached before turning 17 years of age. In fact, he would go to score two more for a total of five before the season was out. That's as far as he can go, because by the time the 2024/25 season gets under way, he will have already turned 17.
Youngest player in Champions League knockouts
At the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, and now aged 16 years and 223 days, Yamal became the youngest player ever to appear in a knockout match in the Champions League.
First UCL line-up with two minors
That game featured fellow teenager Pau Cubarsí and that was the first time ever that a Champions League knockout game started with not one but two players of under 18 years of age in the same team.
Youngest Champions League quarter finalist
Barça marched on past Napoli and the quarter finals threw up the chance for yet another record. Yamal would become the youngest player ever to play in the quarter finals of Europe's premier club competition in the game at the Parc des Princes.
Youngest player to play ten Champions League games
The return leg of that tie, when he was now 16 years and 278 days old, was already Lamine's tenth appearance in the competition. Until then the youngest player to play ten games had been Youri Tielemans of Anderlecht in 2014. Yet another record had been toppled.
Youngest player to make 50 appearances for Barça
The game with Rayo on May 19 was the 50th to feature Lamine Yamal. Wow, that was quick! Most players of his age hadn't even made their debut yet, but here he was surpassing Bojan Krkic's record that had stood for 16 years.
And more for Spain
And that's just the records Lamine Yamal set with FC Barcelona, but he also became the youngest ever debutant for Spain in a game against Georgia. He was just 16 years and 57 days, and not only that but he also scored, to make him the youngest player to do that too! Two records that were both snatched from his team-mate Gavi, who had set them not so long before.
Youngest player to feature in the European Championships
In the starting XI for the first game of the 2024 European Championships for Luis de la Fuente's side against Croatia, at the age of 16 years and 339 days the Barça winger is the youngest player ever to take part in the tournament.
Youngest provider of an assist in the Euros
Not happy with being the youngest player in the tournament, Lamine set another first when he created an assist for Dani Carvajal's third goal in the 3-0 win over Croatia.
Lamine Yamal, youngest player in the knock out stage of the Euros
In the starting XI for the 4-1 victory in the last 16 of the 2024 European Championships against Georgia, at the age of 16 years and 354 days the Barça winger is the youngest player ever to take part in the tournament knock out stages. Lamine now heads a list of the youngest players ever to appear in the knock out stages ahead of England's Jude Bellingham, Germany's Musiala, his team mate Pedri and English striker Marcus Rashford.
Lamine Yamal, youngest goalscorer in the European Championships
In Euro 2024 the teenage winger has become the youngest player ever to score in the tournament at the age of 16 years and 362 days, surpassing the previous record of Switzerland's Johan Vonlathen who scored in the 2004 edition at the age of 18 years and 141 days.
Lamine Yamal's record breaking goal came in the first half of the semi-final against France in the 21st minute with a wonderful curling shot into the top corner to make the score 1-1 after Didier Deschamps' team had taken the lead earlier in the half.
Youngest player in a Euro final
Lamine Yamal and Spain went on to play in and win the final in Berlin, and it was he who headed the assists for his good friend Nico Williams to score the first of the two goals that downed England 2-1.
Youngest player to win a major international trophy
That win also produced another record to add to Lamine Yamal's collection. It made him the youngest player ever to win a major international trophy. They day after his 17th birthday, he was 248 days younger than the great Pelé was when he won the 1958 World Cup with Brazil.
