How Lamine Yamal Compares to Lionel Messi, Neymar After 100 Barcelona Games | OneFootball

Lamine Yamal's ascent to superstardom has been as breathtaking as it's been swift.

The 17-year-old remains too young to drive, get a tattoo or enjoy an alcoholic beverage post-match, yet he's already established himself as one of the planet's most devastating and recognisable footballers.

The Barcelona winger reached another astonishing milestone on Wednesday evening during the Champions League semifinal first leg with Inter, earning his 100th appearance for the Catalan giants. He's become the youngest player in the club's history to achieve such an extraordinary feat and by a significant distance.

Even the greatest footballer of all time, Lionel Messi, didn't mark his century of Barcelona appearances until he was almost 21, while he's overtaken teammates Pedri and Gavi in the race to reach triple digits.

But how do Yamal's first 100 showings compare to some of his positional peers and Barcelona idols, such as Messi and Neymar?

Goals

Neymar (M) and Messi (R) were prolific in their early Barca careers / IMAGO/ABACAPRES

There can be no doubting which of Yamal, Messi and Neymar was most prolific during their first century of matches with Barcelona. It was the latter who found the net most regularly, scoring on 58 occasions as he made a lightning quick start in Catalonia following a move from Santos.

Of course, it's worth noting that Neymar was older when he started his Barcelona career and therefore, hypothetically speaking at least, more developed. He was 21 years old when making his debut for La Blaugrana but scoring in over half of your first 100 matches for one of the world's biggest clubs remains an impressive achievement regardless of age.

Messi took a fair amount of time to reach the century mark but managed a staggering 41 goals in the process despite his tender age. The sorcerous Argentine made a strong impression as he became the youngest appearance-maker in Barcelona history on his debut - a record since surpassed by Yamal - and the rest, as they say, is history.

Yamal has stolen all manner of records from Messi since his arrival on the scene but he can't match the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner's goal tally after 100 Barcelona games. Yamal averages a strike approximately every five matches and has produced 21 in total for the senior team.

Assists

Yamal is number one for assists / Imago/NurPhot

What Yamal lacks in goalscoring - well, in comparison to two of the game's greats, at least - he more than makes up for in creativity. The teenager is a relentless provider for teammates and Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha have been particular beneficiaries of his magic. He's produced 33 assists for La Blaugrana and there are many more to come.

Those assist numbers are superior to Neymar's and Messi's, both of whom were more reliable goalscorers than providers early in their esteemed Barcelona careers. The former laid on 26 assists for teammates - still an impressive total - and the latter just 21.

Yamal's trickery and distribution have made him an exceptional threat throughout his fledgling career and the fact that there's still room for growth will frighten Barcelona's rivals.

Trophies

Messi (M) and Neymar (R) both won the Champions League within their first century of matches / Matthias Hangst/Getty Images

Yamal has already managed to win major silverware with his country as he dazzled at Euro 2024 and he added a third trophy with Barcelona to his cabinet last weekend. The youngster provided two assists as La Blaugrana beat arch rivals Real Madrid in the final of the Copa del Rey.

Yamal was also integral in Barcelona winning the Supercopa de Espana earlier this term but played a much smaller role in the 2022/23 La Liga triumph - his first piece of silverware at senior level. He made just one appearance that season but could yet win another La Liga title and even a Champions League crown come the end of this season.

Neymar and Messi had both accumulated four pieces of silverware by their 100th Barcelona outing, including La Liga and Champions League triumphs. Whether Yamal can match Messi's 34 trophies in red and blue remains to be seen but he's made a strong start.

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