Comparing Lamine Yamal’s career record to Lionel Messi’s after 75 games
Lamine Yamal has now played 75 professional matches for club and country so we thought we’d compare his career record with Lionel Messi’s at the same stage.
Having come through La Masia and earned a huge reputation for himself at such a young age, Yamal was always bound to draw comparisons to Messi.
While most players would wilt under the pressure of being compared to arguably the greatest player of all time, Yamal seems to take everything in his stride.
The teenager made his breakthrough under Xavi at Barcelona last season and he lit things up for Spain during Euro 2024.
Having now taken his eye-catching form into the 2024-25 campaign, the hype levels surrounding the Barcelona wonderkid have gone into overdrive.
While Yamal himself is happy to be compared to Messi, he wants to forge his own path as he claims reaching the level of the Argentine is ‘impossible’.
“I like that they compare me to the greatest player in the history of football, but I want to be myself,” Yamal told Antena 3.
“Reaching Messi’s level is impossible.”
It’s worth noting that Messi has been keeping an eye on Yamal’s career from afar and he thinks that the Spanish star will be in Ballon d’Or contention for the years to come.
“I also think that Lamine Yamal, who is still very young and plays for Barcelona, will play a prominent role and fight for [the Ballon d’Or] in the future too,” Messi said via L’Equipe in 2023.
It’s amazing how similar they both are when comparing their two career records after their first 75 professional matches.
While Messi had a superior scoring record to Yamal in his first 75 games, it’s Yamal who comes out on top when it comes to assists.
In total, Messi produced 30 goal contributions in his first 75 games for club and country, while Yamal has a slightly superior record with 37 goals and assists up to this point.
Of course, there’s no guarantee that Yamal will continue to progress at his current rate, but the early signs are incredibly promising.
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Taking a closer look at the stats, Yamal has averaged a goal or assist every 126.9 minutes, whereas Messi averaged a goal contribution every 146.5 minutes in the opening stages of his career.
When comparing their numbers at this stage of their careers, it’s also important to note that Yamal has made 75 professional appearances at a far younger age than Messi.
Yamal made his 75th career appearance against Getafe in midweek aged 17. Whereas Messi made his 75th career appearance in April 2007 when he was 19 years old.
In terms of trophies won, Messi does have the edge over Yamal as he won four trophies in his first 75 appearances, whereas Yamal only has two at this stage of his career.
Here is the full breakdown of both players and their record for club and country after 75 games:
Lamine Yamal’s record after 75 games
Games: 75
Goals: 14
Assists: 23
Goal contributions: 37
Minutes per goal: 335.6
Minutes per goal or assist: 126.9
Trophies won: La Liga (x1), European Championship (x1)
Lionel Messi’s record after 75 games
Games: 75
Goals: 22
Assists: 8
Goal contributions: 30
Minutes per goal: 199.7
Minutes per goal or assist: 146.5
Trophies won: La Liga (x2), Supercopa de Espana (x1), UEFA Champions League (x1)