Stunning stats and 'Ronaldo behaviour' - is Yamal cut out to rival Messi?

There are portraits that precede greatness, snapshots of youthful genius. The lad with the indie-band fringe celebrating connected Ronaldinho's back. The bleach-blonde teen with blaugrana braces leaving a way of Inter defenders successful his wake.

Almost precisely 20 years separated Lionel Messi's archetypal extremity for Barcelona and Lamine Yamal's sensational Champions League semi-final onslaught connected his 100th quality for the Catalan giants past month.

Now Yamal has done it again, cutting wrong connected to his near ft and emphatically delivering what is becoming his trademark decorativeness arsenic Barcelona bushed section rivals Espanyol to assertion different La Liga rubric connected Thursday night.

It is already the 2nd league rubric of his vocation for Yamal, and the 17-year-old is inactive a period younger than Messi was erstwhile helium lobbed the goalkeeper from Ronaldinho's scooped assistance to go La Liga's then-youngest scorer successful 2005.

Yamal has besides won a Copa del Rey and Super Cup with Barcelona, and a European Championship with Spain conscionable for bully measure.

"I don't privation to comparison myself with the champion subordinate successful football's history," said the guardant past month, but conjecture astir whether helium tin emulate Messi is natural.

The stats amusement Yamal's trajectory since his debut aged 15 years and 290 days is rising faster than that of either Messi oregon the different superstar of his generation, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Yamal, not 18 until July, has already played 104 games astatine nine level and scored 24 goals. By the aforesaid age, Messi had scored erstwhile successful 9 elder games for Barca portion Ronaldo had netted 5 goals successful 19 games for Sporting.

Yamal besides has 4 goals successful his 19 appearances for Spain. Neither Messi oregon Ronaldo made their planetary debut until they turned 18.

It took Messi, who made his debut astatine 16, until soon earlier his 21st day to deed the 100-game people successful Barcelona colours, scoring 41 goals successful the process.

But they were the archetypal of an unthinkable 672 goals for the club, to complement the 8 Ballons d'Or, 1 World Cup, 2 Copas America, 4 Champions Leagues and a immense haul of home silverware.

"It is not normal," says erstwhile Barcelona midfielder Mark van Bommel of Yamal's rise. "That's wherefore everyone is talking astir him. [But] to scope the fig of Messi, that's not easy. Even for a feline playing astatine 17."

Messi was the tiny lad who arrived from Argentina aged 13 needing growth-hormone treatment, the 1 Gerard Pique revealed team-mates astatine La Masia thought was mute due to the fact that helium "said thing to america for the archetypal month".

"Messi was ever precise cautious successful the mode helium approached things - rivals, team-mates, managers - ever precise respectful," explains Spanish shot adept Guillem Balague.

"But helium would beryllium the 1 putting the intelligence framework to those that came new. If they were from the little ranks, helium would support them but propulsion them.

"When Neymar arrived, helium got the message: You are Brazilian, we cognize you similar to explicit yourself a lot, but determination are definite things you person to bash present to go an important subordinate for Barcelona."

Yamal grew up astir 20 miles on the seashore from the Nou Camp betwixt the metropolis of Granollers, wherever his parent lived, and Mataro, wherever his begetter was. He celebrates by making the fig 304 with his fingers, the past 3 digits of his postcode successful the Mataro neighbourhood of Rocafonda.

Remarkably, determination are pictures of babe Yamal being held by a 20-year-old Messi during a photoshoot for Barcelona and Unicef successful 2007. Seven years later, that babe was grooming with the club. By the property of 12, Spanish work Marca was already comparing him to Messi.

Barcelona adjacent broke protocol by bringing Yamal to unrecorded astatine La Masia - usually the rooms spell to players from extracurricular Catalonia and taxis are provided for section youngsters. Just implicit 3 years aft moving in, Yamal made his debut against Real Betis.

"Lamine, they enactment him successful La Masia. Why? Because with the coaches determination was idiosyncratic who could exemplary his way," explains erstwhile La Masia manager Pau Moral, who says Yamal "had not had an casual environment". "Now helium is successful the close mode due to the fact that Barca helped him a lot."

Yamal has since moved retired of the Barcelona residence, buying an flat not acold from the grooming ground.

"Lamine Yamal couldn't person been much antithetic to Lionel Messi," says Balague. "Since helium was a kid helium liked to gag wrong the changing rooms, helium liked to explicit himself.

"The information his parents separated a agelong clip agone and his parent has been the lighthouse successful presumption of values and behaviour, his begetter is astir much similar a person - that allowed a subordinate similar him to person the state to spell beyond what is expected.

"A bully illustration of that is Cristiano Ronaldo - helium had nary references and helium thought helium could alert and that helium could beryllium the champion successful the satellite and nary 1 said to him 'no, you person to spell to assemblage etc'."

Balague describes Yamal arsenic "completely fearless", which came crossed successful Yamal's archetypal quality league earlier the 3-3 Champions League semi-final first-leg gully with Inter.

"I near each my fears successful the parkland of my neighbourhood," said Yamal, earlier responding to those who criticised his celebrations pursuing Barca's Copa del Rey triumph against Real Madrid past month. "While I support winning, they can't accidental much."

"I person ne'er heard thing similar that," says Balague. "It is precise overmuch similar Cristiano Ronaldo behaviour - reasoning 'I americium the best, truthful it is not a problem'. But helium is inactive a kid successful truthful galore ways."

Balague says erstwhile the energy went down successful Spain earlier this month, Yamal, Gavi and Fermin Lopez took the accidental to stroll astir municipality with their hoodies on, earlier they were spotted.

"This is what helium volition bash sometimes, not realising the impact," says Balague. "He went precocious to Rocafonda and helium realises helium cannot instrumentality determination immoderate much due to the fact that helium has go a legend. He has travel retired of the district. He has conquered the world."

The precocious Kobe Bryant erstwhile told a communicative astir Ronaldinho introducing him to a subordinate helium said would beryllium the top of each time. "You what? You are the best," replied the hoops star. "No," said Ronaldinho. "This kid present is going to beryllium the best."

Messi was 17, but those astir him already knew they were successful the beingness of a star.

He joined a squad containing World Cup winners Ronaldinho, Juliano Belletti and Edmilson, stars specified arsenic Samuel Eto'o and Deco, and homegrown gems Carles Puyol, Andres Iniesta, Victor Valdes and Xavi.

The pursuing season, Barcelona won La Liga and the Champions League - though Messi missed the last done wounded - their archetypal triumph successful Europe's elite contention since 1992.

"We won the Champions League and La Liga with Ronaldinho successful his prime," says Van Bommel. "He was connected specified a level that helium could bash everything connected his own. We could conscionable support and fto him animate the attack, we knew we would triumph each game."

It is, of course, hard to comparison players crossed eras. Yamal has emerged astatine a antithetic Barcelona, wherever the club's fiscal concern has prompted them to crook again to their esteemed younker system.

It was aft Ousmane Dembele near for Paris St-Germain and Raphinha was suspended for the 2nd crippled of past play that Yamal earned his archetypal start. Now helium is the star.

"As a subordinate and a talent, I deliberation we are successful beforehand of the champion subordinate successful the satellite now," says Moral. "Nobody does what helium does. It doesn't substance if helium is 17 years old. Lamine is simply a subordinate who you consciousness erstwhile helium wants, helium tin bash thing special."

Yamal scored 5 times successful this season's Champions League, portion his 53 shots and 98 dribbles are some the astir successful Opta's records for a teen successful a campaign.

The earliest specified information disposable connected Messi is from 2006-07, erstwhile helium was 19 and made 21 dribbles astatine a complaint of 4.9 per 90 minutes, compared to Yamal's 7.2 this term. However, lone 3 times successful 14 consequent seasons astatine Barcelona did Messi driblet beneath Yamal's existent mean successful Europe.

Messi missed a chunk of that 2006-07 play with a metatarsal fracture but inactive clocked up 26 La Liga appearances, scoring 14 goals with a changeable conversion complaint of 23% and creating 38 chances, which led to 2 assists.

Yamal, 2 years younger, has played 33 league games this season, scored 8 goals, made 13 assists and created 62 chances, though helium has had much than doubly arsenic galore shots arsenic Messi did with a conversion complaint of 6.1%.

"What we are seeing from Lamine Yamal is bonzer and the interaction it has had successful satellite shot is wholly retired of the mean and unexpected," says Balague.

"Barcelona players look astatine him for solutions. Certainly different players felt - particularly erstwhile they went 2-0 down against Inter - that Lamine Yamal was the solution."

That is simply a question lone clip tin answer.

"Certainly, we person to accidental helium is up of Messi arsenic it stands," says Balague. "But to beryllium 15 years close astatine the top, influencing each last helium played, that is thing that requires a batch of consistency, luck and a beardown mentality for erstwhile things spell wrong.

"At the moment, everything is going good and this is the biggest interaction Lamine has had - helium makes america look guardant to watching Barcelona, look guardant to seeing him. He lifts america from our seats, makes america outcry and shriek erstwhile helium does something."

Moral remembers watching Yamal determine younker cupful finals, including his ain "remontada" against Real Madrid. Now helium is doing it connected the grandest stage.

"Who expects a feline 16, 17 years aged tin play not conscionable successful archetypal division, but successful Barca... and tin bash thing similar the different time successful the semi-finals of the Champions League oregon successful the summertime successful the Euros?" Moral says.

"This feline is simply a kid, helium is unbelievable. Honestly, I don't cognize wherever his apical is, but we are successful beforehand of 1 of the top players successful the future, I americium sure.

"For me, Messi is the champion successful history. But if everyone progressive with Lamine helps - the environment, friends, family, sometimes you get an wounded - if everything goes well, if helium takes bully decisions and works similar helium is, I don't privation to accidental amended than Messi but helium is connected the way..."

Van Bommel says Barcelona's 2006 Champions League occurrence "was the opening of the Messi era", 1 built astir La Masia endowment with Messi astatine its fore. Now determination is simply a consciousness Yamal could pb the latest batch of young stars into a caller dynasty.

It's what Moral and others who coached astatine La Masia person been waiting to spot travel to fruition.

"We said it would ne'er hap again. And look, 10 years later, we are successful the aforesaid situation," Moral beams, recalling watching Yamal, Gavi, Alejandro Balde and Pau Cubarsi, and says determination are much to come.

"When they interaction the ball, you consciousness thing peculiar arsenic a coach. Lamine, pfft, if 1 subordinate astatine 12 years aged has the capableness to marque you brainsick successful training, it's similar 'wow!'

"Barcelona is doing precise bully things - they put successful La Masia, successful players, successful talented coaches. Now it is mean to spot players of 16, 17, 18 years old, which is unbelievable.

"When Xavi was successful the apical level, helium was 26 oregon 27 years old. These guys are 17 oregon 18 years aged truthful ideate successful 10 years wherever they tin arrive?"

Yamal is the prima of this crop, a world-beater astatine 17.

Barcelona anticipation erstwhile the curtain 1 time comes down connected his Nou Camp career, it volition beryllium with a bequest to rival Messi's.

Watch highlights of each Champions League crippled from 22:00 connected Wednesday connected BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.

There volition besides beryllium a Champions League Match of the Day connected BBC One connected Wednesday, from 22:40 to 00:00.