Lamine Yamal is Barcelona’s great hope after starring for Spain – they need him more than ever

Watching Lamine Yamal at this summer’s European Championship, it was easy to forget how old he is.

The Spain and Barcelona winger turned 17 the day before the July 14 final against England, but the talent and intelligence he showed while playing with such expectation was unbefitting of a teenager.

Most players in Yamal’s position would likely get carried away with their newfound fame. Not Yamal, who during the tournament said: “I only have one friend; and my cousin, who is also my friend.”

Those close to Yamal, who asked to remain anonymous to protect relationships, say it is amazing how he coped with the storm around him this summer, helping Spain’s senior men to their first major trophy since the all-conquering generation of 2008-12. Barcelona have been equally surprised at his ability to deal with it all while keeping his feet on the ground.

GO DEEPER

The making of Lamine Yamal and his path to Euro 2024 stardom

In the final stretch of last season and also with the national team in Germany, he led by example on the pitch. He made calming gestures, encouraged the fans and carried the team in difficult moments — such as when he drew Spain level with France in the Euros semi-final with a stunning shot that made him the youngest goalscorer in the competition’s history at 16 years and 362 days old.

Barca fans are understandably excited. But then he opens his mouth to smile and you see his braces. And then you hear him speak in an interview — for example, with his fellow Spain winger and now Barcelona transfer target Nico Williams, saying “Bro” every other word — and you remember he is a kid.

¿🪨📰✂️? ¡¡Estos dos “𝗯𝗿𝗼𝘀” se juegan hasta el sitio donde sentarse!!@willliamsssnico y Lamine Yamal nos cuentan quién es “padre” de quién, sus juegos, bailes…

🤪 ¡¡Vaya dos cracks se han ido a juntar en la @SEFutbol!!https://t.co/07axI2Bsyf#VamosEspaña | #EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/FmFlZTfbWL

— Selección Española Masculina de Fútbol (@SEFutbol) July 2, 2024

Those supporters have been devoid of hope for years. Barcelona are still dealing with the effects of historic €1billion ($1.1bn; £840million) debt and have suffered numerous on-pitch setbacks since they last won the Champions League in 2015.

There have been traumatic exits from European competition and the even more traumatic departure of talisman Lionel Messi after his near-20-year association with the Catalan club.

Since then, various attempts have been made to put a smile back on the face of the fanbase — none of which have lasted.

Ansu Fati was touted as Messi’s successor after playing alongside the Argentinian, but he suffered several serious injuries and was never quite the same on his return to the pitch. The now 21-year-old is lacking in confidence and has come back to Barca this summer after an underwhelming season on loan to Brighton of the Premier League. New head coach Hansi Flick likes Fati and he will get a chance to prove himself during pre-season, but Barca would sell the winger if they received a good offer.

Fati in training this month with Barca coach Flick (Joan Valls/Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Xavi, a club legend from his playing days, was brought back to Camp Nou as head coach in 2021. Fans celebrated the return of the former Spain midfielder, who went on to lead Barca to the title, their first since the Messi era, in the 2022-23 season. But a lack of consistency and an underwhelming style of play last season led to another traumatic farewell — after a series of u-turns.

Big signings have often failed to impress. Barca brought forward the €30million arrival of Brazilian striker Vitor Roque from Athletico Paranaense in his homeland to January but he scored twice in 16 appearances. He scored those goals wearing the No 19 shirt, but that number has now been given to Yamal.

So it is easy to see why Yamal’s emergence gave Barca fans so much hope.

Sources at the club, who asked to remain anonymous to protect relationships, had long promised there was a “brilliant” player from their La Masia academy, the likes of which they hadn’t seen since Messi. That player, Yamal, made his first-team debut at 15 years and 290 days old in April last year, becoming the club’s youngest ever La Liga player.

Yamal’s talent would make him a star anyway, but Barcelona supporters have also got carried away because of their desire to find their ‘New Messi’. That was heightened by the emergence of photos, which have now gone viral, of Messi with a baby Yamal in December 2007, fuelling the sense that the kid really was the ‘chosen one’.

GO DEEPER

The story behind the viral photos of Lionel Messi and a baby Lamine Yamal

But the experiences of Fati and other young players at the club show why they cannot take too many risks. Recent years have seen midfielders Pedri and Gavi pick up long-term injuries after being relied on. Going further back, Israeli forward Gai Assulin was compared to Messi after coming through the ranks of La Masia into the Pep Guardiola-managed B team, but he went on to play for 13 clubs and most recently appeared in Gerard Pique’s Kings League seven-a-side soccer project.

Those experiences have helped Barcelona learn.

They restricted Yamal’s playing time last term — he started 30 of the 51 games across all competitions in which he was in the squad. They also agreed he would only play in one of two international tournaments this summer, choosing the Euros over the Olympics, so avoiding the situation an 18-year-old Pedri faced at the end of his debut first-team season. The midfielder played 73 matches for club and country in 2020-21, including representing Spain at both the Euros and the Olympic Games.

Yamal is already a key player for Barca (Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

But talent like Yamal’s also can’t be contained, and he is already a key player for Barcelona, just as he is for Spain. He is expected to be Flick’s starting right-winger in the coming season, though the club will continue to keep a close eye on him when the games begin again next month.

Previous great La Masia hopes, such as the former Stoke City striker Bojan, have spoken about the pressure they felt at Barca. But that external noise does not seem to be a concern for Yamal. Just consider what Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon said about the build-up to that Euros decider against England in Berlin this month.

“Before the final, I was nervous on the bus, and he and Nico (who turned 22 this month) were dancing, enjoying every moment,” Simon, 27, said.

It is what makes Yamal such an infectious personality. And he is considered one of Barca’s ‘indispensable’ players — with club president Joan Laporta claiming in an interview in March that they had rejected a €200million offer for their brightest young star. Last October, he signed a contract extension that raised his release clause to €1billion.

After watching arch-rivals Real Madrid win a La Liga-Champions League double last season, Yamal’s brilliant performances have come at just the right time.

Barca need his talent more than ever.

(Top photo: Xiao Yijiu/Xinhua via Getty Images)