Sky is the limit for Spain and Barcelona golden boy Lamine Yamal ahead of Euro 2024

Former Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez liked what he saw. He was watching Barcelona’s cadets (the 14-15 year olds) and spotted a player who stood out: Lamine Yamal. He asked about him and was told that he sometimes played with the Juvenil A team (15-16 year olds). Hernandez invited Yamal to some training sessions with the first team and was convinced about the youngster’s talent.

Barcelona then pushed for Yamal to have all the right contracts signed because Xavi felt he was ready to play with experienced stars such as Robert Lewandowski. At 15 years and 290 days, Yamal came on for Gavi in front of 88,530 against Real Betis in April 2023.

Afterwards, Hernandez said: “He’s someone who could define an era at this club. I had no concern about calling him up. He has natural talent, he’s daring and he can help us, however young he is. Youngsters these days tend to have great confidence. I look at them and it’s very different from my day. They’re fearless.”

“He surprised everyone in training,” Jordi Cruyff, then the club’s sports director, told The National. “Players gave him the ball because they trusted him – both the tough passes and the easy passes. They recognised that he could do anything with the ball. Amazing considering his age.”

There was still much work to do for the player who bypassed the club’s B team which competes in Spain’s third tier. Even Lionel Messi had to play B team football.

Yamal played only 23 minutes of B team football. There was a pressing contract issue; Yamal was able to leave the club he’d been at since he was seven years old for free at the end of the 2024 season. Barcelona did their best to tie him down to a longer deal.

Yamal had been taught to attack as he came through Barcelona’s youth