Lamine Yamal, on the verge of celebrating his centenary with Barça

At 17 years and 114 days old, Leo Messi began to take his first steps in the Barça first team. He made his debut on October 16, 2004, in a La Liga match against Espanyol . The Argentine finished that season with nine official appearances for the senior team. It would still be three years before the best player on the planet reached 100 appearances for Barcelona and was considered, beyond being an undisputed starter, one of the most impactful players on the team, alongside Ronaldinho and Eto'o. He did so in the 2007-2008 season at the age of 20.

Emerging from the same Masia 21 years later, a talent emerges who has a different way of measuring time, or at least a different way of processing the stages of maturation. At 17 years old, two months away from turning 18 on July 13, Lamine Yamal will reach 100 appearances for FC Barcelona tomorrow in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Inter Milan. In the previous 99, the winger, who debuted under Xavi Hernández last season at the age of 15, has scored 21 goals and provided 33 assists, and this season, under Hansi Flick, he has won a Super Cup and a Copa del Rey, the same season that Barcelona, ​​the La Liga leader and Champions League semi-finalist, are aiming for four titles.

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While Messi, who in 100 matches, won two La Liga titles, one Champions League title, and two Spanish Super Cups, exhausted all possible adjectives, becoming the world's number one player with seven Ballon d'Or awards, Lamine Yamal has already embraced the term "precocious." With Barcelona, ​​he has become the youngest player to make his debut (15 years, 290 days), but also the youngest to score a goal or play in a Clásico, feats he achieved at 16. At international level, he is also the youngest to be called up to the senior team (16 years, 260 days) and to play, score, and win a European Championship (16 years, 334 days).

Messi at his age was taking his first steps in the first team: it would take him three more years to reach 100

His precocity in the world of football , the king of sports, is comparable only to that of Pelé, who at 17 was already one of the most outstanding players. He was crowned world champion with Brazil in 1958, becoming the youngest player to win a World Cup and score a goal in a World Cup final. In fact, in this tournament, Pelé scored six goals and established himself as an international star for his influence and dominance on the field.

The Barcelona winger has also proven to be a decisive player in key moments. His technique and ability to break through have made him a key player and also the opponent's worst nightmare. "He's taking it all as normal," explains his entourage, who, along with Barcelona, ​​have agreed that today, in the run-up to the semifinal, Lamine Yamal will appear before the media for the first time to convey his feelings, but also his optimism and desire to take on the world without fear.

The footballer has also grown off the field

A close friend of Balde and Ansu Fati, with whom he shares his agent, Jorge Mendes, he has been living outside La Masia since this year, although close to the training ground. He enjoys learning to cook, passed his compulsory secondary education last year, and in his free time visits his paternal family in Rocafonda, his neighborhood in Mataró, and also frequents Maresme, where his mother, Sheila Ebana, and his younger brother, Keyne, live. This year, Lamine Yamal practiced Ramadan for the first time and has also learned to better understand his teenage body. Flick, who controls his Excel minutes, advises him and has the final say on his presence on the pitch.

Read also Laporta has left the player's renewal in the hands of Deco, who wants to close the contract this summer.

In the offices, Barça wanted to update his contract this year, which is €2 million net. Laporta, who has left the matter in the hands of Deco, hopes that, when the construction of the Spotify Camp Nou boxes is a reality and the auditor and Javier Tebas, president of LaLiga , approve the transaction, with which the club will be able to account for €100 million, they will return to the 1-1 rule and execute his renewal until at least 2030. The winger signed a year ago until 2026, the maximum allowed by law for minors. Deco then took advantage of the opportunity to close a pre-agreement for that contract to be extended as soon as the player turns 18. This declaration of intent is a letter already signed by his parents, Mounir Nasraoui and Sheila Ebana, which the player, who already has a market value of €180 million, wishes to ratify.