Ahead of Messi: Barcelona's plan succeeds with Yamal

A remarkable start for the young star

Barcelona's prodigy Lamine Yamal has made history, becoming the first player to rack up more than 20 goal contributions in the Champions League (goals and assists) before turning 20. At 19 years and two months, he is also the youngest player ever to wear Barcelona's captain's armband. Nobody has ever reached these heights this fast.

Raphinha, Pedri, Frenkie de Jong and Eric Garcia all sit above him in the captaincy order. Even so, Yamal's turn with the armband against Feyenoord made a serious impression.

He never gets substituted. That means the sight of the armband on his sleeve will become a regular fixture during matches.

Spanish newspaper AS called Yamal's rise to the captaincy a surprise, but only a few spotted the important detail behind it: Lamine ranks among the longest-serving players in the squad.

His first appearance in a Barcelona shirt came in April 2023, with 17 current players arriving after him. Inside the dressing room, and beyond the top four captains, only Balde, Gavi, Kounde and Christensen made their first-team debuts before he did.

Plenty of voices claim Yamal does his own thing. Yet the youngster stamps his presence on the dressing room with his music and on the pitch with his football, and these details show exactly where Lamine stands within the team.

Just look at Lionel Messi to grasp how quickly the number 10 has reached this point. Messi first wore the armband at 25, though he had worn it at 20 in a friendly against Dundee United, before flying out to the Beijing Olympics.

The armband carries more than symbolic value. It hands the player more power, and that is precisely what the board wanted. They spent the past week rallying around the number 10 amid the Ballon d'Or race, aiming to give him the most comfortable environment possible during his years with the Catalan club.

Responsibility comes with it too. Yamal had already surprised many with the professionalism he showed during his recovery period before the World Cup.

Now he has cranked up his form once more, scoring five goals and setting up two others over the last nine days.