3 days ago
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World MVP
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Considering the astonishing impact he has already made on the game, it's quite hard to comprehend that Barcelona teenage prodigy Lamine Yamal is only just turning 18 years of age. But this Sunday marks his milestone birthday. Yamal has already won the European Championships with his nation Spain, won LaLiga with Barcelona, become the world's most valuable player in the world at €200 million, and is one of the favourites to win this year's Ballon d'Or. But there are some other statistics that are simply mind-boggling, considering the talented winger's age. Here at Transfermarkt, on Yamal's 18th birthday, we have compiled four stats that highlight just how special this wonderkid is.
Four incredible Lamine Yamal stats on his 18th birthday
As illustrated in the graphic below, when it comes to the biggest trophies, no player has been more successful than Yamal this century. Counting major trophies as any top-five league title, any top-five league main domestic cup, the Champions League, the Europa League, the Euros, and the World Cup, Yamal comes out on top. He has four to his name (two LaLigas, one Euros, and one Copa del Rey), before even turning 18, beating every other youngster before him since 2000.
When it comes to individual achievements, it's perhaps even more baffling when we look at Yamal's numbers. Looking at the players with the most goal contributions (goals and assists) since 2000, the young Spaniard not only wins, but smashes the record. He already has 36 goal contributions in LaLiga. The next closest is Youssoufa Moukoko, who managed 17 before turning 18 years old in the Bundesliga for Borussia Dortmund. Yamal's numbers dwarf the likes of Kylian Mbappé's or Wayne Rooney's, who themselves were synonymous with being breakthrough teenagers.
When it comes to Transfermarkt's world renowned market values, once again Yamal has changed the game. Before the Barcelona talent, no player had ever reached a market value of higher than €80m before turning 18 years old. The record was held by former Barca talent Ansu Fati, who was worth €80m at 17 years old. However, in May, Yamal's market value hit an incredible €200m, making him the most valuable player in the world right now, and the most valuable 17-year-old of all-time by some distance.
It's not just with Barcelona that Yamal has blown the world away. He has been a regular for Spain for sometime now on the right-wing, which simply feels a ridiculous statement to make about a player who has only just turned 18 years old. He has already represented his nation 21 times - the most of any player this century before turning 18. Yamal is truly a generational player and has the world at his feet. If his career can continue at the wild trajectory we have seen so far, he will become a true legend of the game.
