How does Lamine Yamal’s record compare to Diego Maradona and Pele at 18 years old?

Although Barcelona's boy wonder Lamine Yamal only turned 18 on Sunday (July 13), he is already being billed as the next big footballing superstar. The youngster has taken the world by storm, showcasing incredible skill for a teenager and routinely destroying opponents almost double his age.

Graduating from Barca's famed La Masia academy, Yamal became the youngest player (15 years, nine months, 16 days) to make their first-team debut for the club. Since then, he has made 105 more appearances for the Catalan giants, racking up 25 goals and 34 assists and playing a crucial role in his side's domestic treble-winning 2024-25 campaign.

He has also been called up to the Spanish national team, with six goals and nine assists in 21 appearances for La Roja. He was named the young player of the tournament after he inspired Spain to their third European title at EURO 2024.

A comparison of Yamal's record before turning 18 to those of other legendary players makes for interesting viewing. While he has been much better than what Cristiano Ronaldo (five goals in 19 games for Sporting) and Lionel Messi (one goal in seven games for Barca) were in their teenage years, the records of Pele and Diego Maradona are almost unbelievable.

Before turning 18, Pele was dominating opposition defenses, racking up 83 goals in just 71 appearances for boyhood club Santos. He had also won a FIFA World Cup title with Brazil at the tender age of 17, scoring nine goals in seven matches at the 1958 edition.

On the other hand, Maradona was shining in Argentinian football, with 41 goals in 91 appearances for Argentinos Juniors (stats via Mundo Deportivo). He won the league title with his boyhood side and could have won a World Cup at 17 akin to Pele; however, he wasn't selected in La Albiceleste's title-winning 1978 squad.

While he has a long way to go, many have predicted that Lamine Yamal will join the pantheon of footballing greats. It remains to be seen whether the Spanish youngster lives up to the lofty expectations in the long run.

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"I want to win now" - Barcelona star Lamine Yamal sends clear message on 18th birthday

On his 18th birthday (Sunday, July 13) Barcelona star Lamine Yamal has sent a clear message that he wants to compete for titles and 'win now'.

The youngster claimed that he wants to lift the UEFA Champions League with Barca and the FIFA World Cup with Spain. He asserted that he wants to start adding to his trophy cabinet at every possible opportunity and isn't 'thinking about how many years' he has left in his career.

Lamine Yamal said (via Sportskeeda h/t GOAL):

"Turning 18, I wish to achieve everything we had at 16 and 17, with the title we're missing - the Champions League - and also the World Cup. Those are the ones I'm missing. My mindset tells me I have to go out and win." "I'm not thinking about how many years I've got ahead - I want to win now. I’ll try and give everything to make it happen. I just want to tell the fans that we’ll be there, fighting, and the Champions League will come home. The World Cup too," Yamal added.

Up next, Lamine Yamal will likely be seen in action in Barcelona's first game of the 2025-26 campaign - a pre-season friendly against Japanese side Vissel Kobe on July 27.

Edited by Nived Zenith