Casual fans would have been wondering who it was when the susbstitutes board at Camp Nou went up and showed that the number 41 was to replace Gavi against Real Betis. But by the end of the night, they were left fully aware of the talents of Lamine Yamal.
In making his debut, having been an unused substitute in the two previous matches, he overtook Vicenç Martínez to become Barcelona’s youngest ever player in LaLiga at 15 years and 290 days.
Lamine Yamal, who does not like to be referred to with just Yamal, has been hot property for some time. Once working with Iván de la Peña as his agent, his prestigious rise through La Masia saw him catch the eye of his current representative, the super agent Jorge Mendes.
Born to a Moroccan father and an Equatoguinean mother in Esplugas de Llobregat, just north of Barcelona, he joined La Masia while still a boy and caught the eye with his physique and technical ability.
“At 15, I was playing for my neighbourhood team!” his teammate Raphinha exclaimed after the teenager made his debut for the first team. It was not unusual for him though, having played ahead of his age group for most of his blossoming career.
In September, Xavi called him up for his first training session with the senior team and was suitably impressed. So much so that he pushed for the club to clear his path to the first team.
19-year-old Ilias Akhomach was in the pecking order, a regular for Barça Atlètic, but the club have opted to let him depart. When his contract expires this summer, he’s expected to move to England and join Leeds. Much of the reasoning behind that was to aid Lamine Yamal’s progression.
Within the club, he is rated as a better talent than Ansu Fati was at his age, and expectations are high. “He’ll be better than Ansu, better than Ousmane Dembélé, better than any of them,” one insider told Relevo.
Even so, some were surprised at quite how rapidly Xavi brought him into the first-team fold. Playing on the left wing and usually looking to cut back on his inside onto his stronger right foot, he has plenty of competition in that role.
He can play on the right or through the middle, where he has featured as a centre-forward which can also double up as more of a false nine. His dribbling is what sets him apart, but his vision and precision in front of goal are also impressive.
We saw glimpses against Betis. A recovery in the Betis box forced by a fervent press and a shot well saved by Rui Silva, but even more eye-catching was when he clipped the ball over the top of the Betis defence into the oncoming Dembélé, who fluffed his lines.
“I told him to try things and he did,” Xavi said as he reflected on the performance after the win over Betis. “At 15 years old, just imagine it! He is special and he could have even scored tonight, but it was saved. He played with confidence and he showed what he is about. He has no fear and bags of talent. Some of his passes in the final third were really good.”
With the title on the horizon, we could see more of Lamine Yamal before the season ends. 7 minutes against Betis saw him make history, becoming the fifth youngest player ever to feature in LaLiga, but he won’t be disappearing just yet. Remember the name.