Lamine Yamal has just marked his 20th career goal for Barcelona and Spain – but where does he stand in comparison to their all-time leading scorer Lionel Messi?
The Spanish youngster scored the first goal against Atalanta in the final match of the new UEFA Champions League group stage in the 47th minute.
Despite a 2-2 draw against Hansi Flick's team, they had already secured their top eight position and thus a bye in the next round, guaranteeing their advancement to the Round of 16.
Yamal expressed frustration over being substituted during stoppage time, as his team was in a desperate scramble to score, and he elaborated on the situation after the match.
We all want to play. Obviously, I want to play as many minutes as possible, but so do the other players who are on the sidelines. He advised me to stay calm, consider the game a good one, and focus on La Liga.
1 billion pound transfer fee, which ensures that he is likely to remain at the club for the foreseeable future or perhaps the majority of his career.
He may well look to emulate the great Lionel Messi who was also a wonderkid who made his debut at an extremely young age, having graduated from the La Masia academy.
Lionel Messi netted his first goal at 17 years old, whereas his counterpart M'Baye Niang's was achieved in record-breaking time at 16 years and 87 days old
Despite Messi's impressive 672 goals for Barcelona, Yamal is determined to catch up to that record, having been a key contributor to his country's European Championship win in 2024, Yamal will focus on winning the La Liga title and other major honors this season.
In terms of the numbers, Messi was able to score 20 goals in 2,314 fewer minutes, boasting an even stronger minutes-per-goal ratio.
However, Yamal has totaled far more assists at the 20-goal mark, giving him a slightly superior minutes per goal or assist ratio at 134.
In addition, the Spaniard achieved this feat in less time, being nine months quicker, but has been a much more active player, making 29 more appearances and commencing far more starts during that period.
The numbers are compared and presented in detail.
We have analyzed the significant events in relation to the timeframe and number of games played to reach 20 career goals for both club and national teams, incorporating penalty and assist statistics as well as total minutes played until the 20th goal was scored to provide a more comprehensive understanding.
Lamine Yamal
Games: 96 (6,279 minutes)
Goals: 20
Minutes per goal: 314
314
134
Lionel Messi
Games: 67 (3,905 minutes)
20
Minutes per goal: 195
195
150