In the history of the beautiful game, numerous young talents have been bestowed with the phenom label. It's a tag that carries the gravitas of becoming a defining figure of their generation. But success is never a straight line, and different factors can lead to whether a player fulfills such lofty expectations or becomes something of a cautionary tale. For every Wayne Rooney, you get a Bojan Krkić; for every Sergio Agüero, there is a Freddy Adu.
Lamine Yamal, only 17 years old, is the latest prospect to be thought of in such high regard. In his age-16 season, he was already one of the better players in LaLiga. Being a regular starter for Barcelona at 16 was an accomplishment in itself, but he was also a helpful contributor. (Stream Barcelona vs. Rayo Vallecano, Monday, 2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+) Per FBref, among wingers and attacking midfielders during the 2023-24 season, he was in the 74th percentile for non-penalty expected goals plus assisted goals and 81st in shot creating actions (one of the two last offensive actions in the lead-up to a shot).
Following an impressive performance for Spain's Euro 2024 winning side, which included him winning Young Player of the Tournament, Yamal's gone from strength to strength and when healthy, he's arguably been one of the best players in the world this season. Among qualified players in the Big Five European leagues per FBref, a soccer stats database, as of Feb. 11 he's in the top 25 for non-penalty goals and assists per 90 and just outside the top 20 for non-penalty expected goals and assisted goals per 90.
We've seen teenage footballers burst onto the scene over the years, but few at the level Yamal has shown. There's an argument to be made at such a young age he already has a claim for being among the best at helping drive his team to victory, something very few teenagers in the history of the sport can boast.
So what makes Lamine Yamal special? How does he stack up to other teenagers of years past, and just how high is his all-time ceiling?