At just 17, Lamine Yamal is showcasing his extraordinary vision and pulling off passes which many midfielders and elite wingers dream of. It’s not just his pace or dribbling that makes him a unique kind, it’s his brilliant vision, and his ability to judge and play passes that completely disrupt the opponent’s backline. Watching Lamine on the ball is just like watching a player who has been playing football at a professional level for ages. The sense of maturity in his game is just second to none, keeping the fact in mind he is just 17 and has a long way to go.
Calm Under Pressure
One of Lamine’s biggest plus points is his calm and composure when he is on the ball, despite being under pressure. He has gained the significant trust of his teammates, and he can hold the ball and carry it pretty well. We rarely see Lamine panic when two or three defenders are on him. Instead, he keeps his head above and in front, looks for a clear opening, and launches a pass. Whether it’s a beautifully timed lobbed long ball or a one-two cut passing which opens up the defense. His passes are not just good to see, they are with purpose.
The First Goal in the Copa Final
Barcelona recently lifted the Copa del Rey trophy against their arch-rivals Real Madrid, the score-line ending 3-2 in Barcelona’s favor. In this game, we saw the opening goal coming from Pedri’s brilliant finish. The attack was initiated after Barcelona regained the possession of Cubari’s extraordinary tackle. Pedri played a beautiful long ball to Lamine on the right-wing position, Lamine as always calm under pressure carried the ball inside the box. He overloaded the area with three to four Madrid players and placed a well-timed ball for Pedri just outside the box. Pedri finished it brilliantly into the top left corner, beating Thibaut Courtois. This shows how Lamine’s mindset is towards providing unimaginable passes, he is always one step ahead of the defenders.
The Second Goal in the Copa Final
In the second half, almost at the 75th minute of the game, Barcelona went 2-1 down after a corner kick goal. Barcelona was under pressure and needed something special to beat Madrid’s low block. On the counter, Lamine saw the opportunity and played an exquisite ball over Madrid’s defense to Ferran Torres, who took a touch to get past Courtois and finished it off in style. This shows how calm and composed Lamine is in high-pressure situations and how beneficial he proves to be.
Personal Favorites
Although Lamine has several testaments for his extraordinary passes, one of my personal favorites is his travel assist against RCD Mallorca in the first half of the season. Lamine was far away from the box, he saw Raphinha’s run and played a trivela pass which Raphinha connected extremely well.
Another one is his pass to Raphinha against Bayern Munich. Lamine played a cross-field diagonal ball to Raphinha on the counter-attack, which ended up in a goal.