Gerrard’s verdict was finished before the players had reached the pitch.

“We’re talking about a megastar. He is a freak of a player, the numbers that he’s getting at the moment – goals and assists – are beyond belief, scary really,” the former England captain told TNT Sports from the tunnel at Camp Nou.

Gerrard went further than praise. He said Yamal is already in the conversation for the Ballon d’Or, and predicted that in ten years’ time the teenager will be spoken about in the same breath as Messi and Ronaldo.

Seven minutes later, the forecast started to look conservative.

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Mbappé’s record gone inside the opening ten minutes

Aston Villa goalkeeper Zion Suzuki played a short pass to Joao Gomes under pressure, the midfielder laid it off to Yamal, and the Spain forward curled a first-time strike past Suzuki to open the scoring.

It was his 14th Champions League goal, one more than the record Mbappé had set for a teenager in the competition, according to Sports Mole. Yamal does not turn 20 until July 2027, which leaves him months to extend the gap. He has reached 14 goals in 37 Champions League appearances since his debut in September 2023, with 14 assists alongside them.

Raphinha added the other two, scoring in the 52nd and 64th minutes to finish the night at 3-0. The result handed Villa their first defeat in this season’s league phase.

Thirteen goals and eleven assists before kick-off

The numbers Gerrard called “beyond belief” are easy to check. Yamal has started the Barcelona season with 13 goals and 11 assists across all competitions.

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The Ballon d’Or line is not a projection either. Yamal finished runner-up to Ousmane Dembélé in the 2025 vote, at 18 years old.

He has eight months left of his teenage career to stretch the Champions League record Mbappé held before Tuesday.

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