Barcelona youngster creates history in 4-0 victory over Real Betis
Teenager Lamine Yamal made history on Saturday, April 29, by becoming the youngest ever player to make his first-team debut for Barcelona in the 21st century.
Yamal came on as a substitute in the Blaugrana's 4-0 thrashing of Real Betis at the Spotify Camp Nou in La Liga. The 15-year-old Spaniard, born in July 2007, replaced Pablo Gavi in the 83rd minute.
During his brief stint on the pitch, Yamal completed all eight of his passes and even got a shot on target, forcing a decent save from Rui Silva. He also went close to nabbing an assist with a pass for the returning Ousmane Dembele, but the latter couldn't finish off the chance.
Not much is known about the youngster, who, according to Transfermarkt, is part of Barcelona's U19 team despite being just 15 years of age. He has represented Spain in multiple age categories as well.
Yamal scored three times in six matches for La Roja's U15s, once in four games for their U16s and four times in five appearances for their U17s. He is currently a part of their U19 setup, having made his debut for them in October in an international friendly against Germany U19 last year.
Fellow Barcelona youngsters Ilias Akhomach and Victor Barbera were also notably in Spain's squad for that game.
Barcelona demolish Real Betis to inch closer to sealing La Liga title
Lamine Yamal is bound to grab plenty of headlines given the nature of his achievement at the age of just 15. However, it was Barcelona's brilliant performance in the first half against Real Betis that likely made Yamal's debut possible.
Andreas Christensen, playing his first game for the club since mid-March, scored the opener after just 14 minutes from Raphinha's assist. Two yellow cards in nine minutes then saw Betis' Edgar Gonzalez receive his marching orders in the 33rd minute, putting the Blaugrana in an even better position.
They pounced on it as Robert Lewandowski scored to make it 2-0 in the 36th minute. Raphinha added a third three minutes later to all but seal all three points for the hosts. Guido Rodriguez's own-goal in the 82nd minute added more gloss to the scoreline.
The result saw Barcelona score more than one goal for the first time since their win over Elche back on April 2. It also keeps their lead atop the La Liga standings at 11 points, meaning they need just eight more points from their remaining six matches to secure the title.