LAMINE YAMAL
Barcelona, 2023-
Barcelona are used to academy players progressing through to the first team. Yet few youngsters have done so with quite the precocity of Lamine Yamal. He made his La Liga debut in the Azulgrana shirt at just 15 years old, in April 2023. That he came on as a late substitute for Gavi, who was only 18 himself at that time, was illustration of the club’s faith in youth. Yamal has since been given further opportunities to establish himself in the first team under Xavi.
"My expectations are very high,” the Barcelona head coach has said of Yamal, who turned 16 in July 2023. “He is a starter not at the whim of the coach – his decision-making is almost always right. He is intelligent, he is extraordinary, and I hope he will be at Barça for many years to come.” That represents high praise, coming from one of the Catalan giants’ all-time greats.
It has not been only Xavi and Barcelona recognising his extraordinary promise. Yamal became the youngest ever debutant for Spain’s national team, at 16 years and 57 days old, in September 2023. He marked the occasion with a goal, in a 7-1 thrashing of Georgia, in Euro 2024 qualifying.
Xavi has predicted that “Yamal can mark an era”. Here, our UEFA-licensed coaches have analysed his position, style of play and, given his tender years, the areas of his play that still have room for improvement.
What position does Lamine Yamal play?
Yamal is a right winger, whose technical ability, ball control and boldness have helped him stand out already in esteemed company. These attributes make him a handful in a variety of attacking situations.
Is Lamine Yamal left-footed?
With the ball, Yamal likes to come inside from the right wing, on to his favoured left foot. He has quickly become a key element of Barcelona’s attack, often receiving the ball wide and posing problems in the right channel.
Xavi’s tactic of overloading central areas to secure possession, while creating one-on-one situations on the outside, plays to Yamal’s strengths. These assets include his dribbling (below), through balls and, as he has shown at youth level, finishing.
Contribution from the right
As a right winger he provides a major attacking threat, and he is already showing maturity in his decision-making. This includes well-timed runs from wide that attract defenders (below), creating space elsewhere for teammates to take advantage.
An exceptional dribbler, he is also capable of linking up well with teammates, whether via short passing, longer passes or crosses into the box.
Counter-attacks and tight spaces
Yamal has played an important role in Barça counter-attacks through his movement off the ball. He can attack the space in behind, but also drop; here, he can attract a defender to create space for teammates in behind (below). He is comfortable with the ball played into his feet, whether in build-up or more attacking areas, while he also has the ability to apply the finish to a swift break.
In more congested areas, he is capable of taking advantage of the slightest space to get a shot on goal, or a cross into the box.
Ball-carrying and awareness
Yamal generally carries the ball close to his left foot, with light touches, as he typically looks to cut inside from the right (below). His body positioning with the ball at his feet is particularly impressive. He drives with his head up, assessing options and what is happening around him, which aids his decision-making and team play. A talented solo runner on the ball, he is also something of a conductor for the team. This is remarkable for such a young player.
Adaptability
In possession, Yamal likes to get involved after the midfield has progressed the ball into forward areas, where his game is most effective.
At his age, of course, he has plenty of room to improve his tactical awareness. So far, though, he has shown the ability to adapt to tactical variations in attack. This includes switching position to the left wing or, as he did occasionally for Barça’s youth team, playing as a striker.
In the number-nine role, his dizzying dribbles and finishing helped him stand out at youth level. Senior football is a different matter, however. The physical demands on a central forward mean that Yamal needs to mature, physically, before he is ready to play that role again. For now, he is more suited to the flanks, where his exposure to more physical duels is less frequent.
Decisiveness with runs and defending
In possession, Yamal can become a more decisive player with his diagonal runs inside from wide. This would allow him to better connect with teammates’ attacking runs, facilitating link-up play to create shooting opportunities around the box.
His greatest room for improvement currently lies out of possession, however. When his team applies a first press, he can sometimes leave a space behind, caught in two minds on whether to fill a space or pin the nearest player. This hesitation makes it easier for the opposing team to find the space behind through a switch of play (below). This, in turn, can lead to an overload on the full-back.
Any defensive shortcomings have been symptomatic of his age, however. As you would expect from a Barcelona youth product, there is certainly no lack of desire to work out of possession.
Impact
There is no doubt that Yamal is a talent with immense potential. Inevitably he has been compared to Lionel Messi, while others have been quick to warn about the pitfalls of such hype around a young talent.
For now, it is enough to say that, at the age of 16, he has demonstrated a talent capable of enhancing both Barcelona and the Spanish national team. Whatever he goes on to do in football, that is already a remarkable achievement.
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