Barcelona’s 15-Year-Old Prodigy Lamine Yamal Makes Historic Debut, Impresses Xavi

Xavi is full of praise for Lamine Yamal. At 15 years and 290 days, the Moroccan and Equatorial Guinean-born striker has made history with Barça as the youngest player to make his debut with the club’s first team, which was on Saturday against Betis (4-0) in La Liga.

Yamal came on in the 83rd minute and his performance in just ten minutes delighted the coach. "He was very good. I told him to try things, and he did. At 15, he’s already a special player, he knows how to score, make passes, he showed character... And when you see him in training, you realize he can be important," Xavi said in the post-match press conference.

Barça’s coach also compared the young Moroccan striker to Lionel Messi. "He’s a similar player. He has that innate talent in the final third. You wouldn’t think he’s fifteen, he’s more mature than his age. He only played ten minutes, but he was good. He can leave his mark on this team."

With this home win, Barça regained confidence,