He was only supposed to get eased into the game. Instead, he ended up shaking Inter’s entire defense.
Lamine Yamal is just 17 years old, but on Wednesday night he played like a seasoned Champions League veteran as he led Barcelona’s wild comeback in a thrilling 3-3 draw against Inter.
With a sublime solo performance, he sparked the fire that reignited Barça’s hope — and left both opponents and pundits in awe.
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It was Yamal’s 100th appearance for Barcelona, and although he was briefly a doubt before kickoff due to a warm-up injury, he quickly became the standout name of the night.
Rio Ferdinand was full of praise:
“As a pure footballing talent, Yamal is on a level above everyone else in the top five leagues,” he wrote on X. “17 years old — absolutely insane.”
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He wasn’t the only one.
Jamie Carragher called the performance ‘Messi-esque’ and said it felt like watching Messi at his peak — that moment when the entire stadium holds its breath because something magical is about to happen.
And it did.
Yamal pulled one back with a goal that looked like something out of a PlayStation game and continued dazzling on the wing with dribbles and tricks.
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He hit the crossbar, threw Inter’s defense into panic, and showed exactly why Barcelona is currently building their play around a teenager.
Beating Messis Numbers
After the match, CBS shared a stat that only fueled the hype:
Yamal and Messi have the exact same number of goals and assists after their first 100 matches. Yamal even has more assists — and his birthday is still in July.
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With 39 goal contributions in 49 games this season, he is now a serious Ballon d’Or contender.
And although Barcelona still needs to secure a spot in the final, one thing is clear:
The world has taken notice of Lamine Yamal.
And it’s hard to look away.
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Source: Daily Mail
