“When I was 15, I was playing for my local neighborhood club” – Barcelona star reacts as ‘unbelievable’ Lamine Yamal makes history with debut
Lamine Yamal made Barcelona history as he became the youngest player to make his debut for the club. Considering the Blaugrana's illustrious past, the player's achievement is quite phenomenal.
Yamal was born on July 13, 2007, and the player is currently only 15 years old. He came on as the 83rd-minute substitute for Gavi. During his short cameo, the player gave the fans a taste of his talent. He even came close to finding the back of the net.
Raphinha, a goalscorer against Betis, made an incredible claim involving Lamine Yamal after the match. Speaking to the media, the Brazilian winger said (h/t Barca Universal):
"We were telling him that in the bench. When I was 15, I was playing for my local neighborhood club. He entered this stadium with these fans, and it was unbelievable. He almost scored."
Barcelona, meanwhile, managed to register a 4-0 win. Considering they suffered a shock defeat against Rayo Vallecano in the last match, the result was a welcome one for Xavi's side.
Andreas Christensen, Robert Lewandowski, and Raphinha scored while Guido Rodriguez scored a late own goal to hand the Catalan club a 4-0 win. Betis' Edgar Gonzalez was sent off in the 33rd minute of the match.
Xavi's side now have 79 points from 32 La Liga matches and hold a 11-point lead over Real Madrid atop the table. They will return to action on May 2 to take on Osasuna.
Lamine Yamal's Barcelona debut by the numbers
As Lamine Yamal became the youngest ever Barcelona senior team player, the question may arise about how the youngster actually performed. Here, we take a look at some detailed stats from Yamal's 11-minute cameo against Betis.
He managed one shot on target and missed one big chance. Yamal completed eight passes with 100 percent accuracy. He also played one successful long ball. Fans will hopefully get to see more of him in the near future.
Yamal's talent in La Masia's youth academy was pretty well-documented. The recent performance should further raise the player's stock. While Yamal is only 15 and needs to mature to become a regular in the senior team, a promising player like him might be a great option for Xavi to have on the bench.