FIFTEEN-YEAR-OLD wide forward Lamine Yamal made Barcelona history tonight, becoming the club’s youngest-ever player as they beat Real Betis 4-0 to move 11 points clear at the top of La Liga.
The La Masia academy product will turn 16 on July 7 and he was brought on in the 84th minute to replace another teenager, 18-year-old Gavi.
At 15 years and 290 days, Yamal is the fifth-youngest player to appear in the Spanish top flight.
Andreas Christensen, Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha strikes as well as a Guido Rodríguez own goal secured the win for Xavi’s side as they closed in on the title.
Mallorca’s Luka Romero is the youngest player to feature in La Liga when he came on against Real Madrid in 2020, aged 15 years and 219 days.
Yamal, who Barca boss Xavi described as “fearless”, was included in the squad for the first time against Atletico Madrid last Sunday.
Incidentally, the oldest player in La Liga, 41-year-old Betis winger Joaquin, also featured at the Nou Camp tonight. He had already made 215 La Liga appearances when Yamal was born.
Yamal made an impression in the few minutes he played, making a clever pass over the top to create a good chance and coming close to scoring.
“Lamine Yamal did very well. I told him to try things and he has done so. At 15 years old, imagine,” Barcelona manager Xavi said after the match.
“He was almost able to score. He is a special player, he has self-confidence, he can be important, you realise it in training.”
