17-year-old wonderkid Lamine Yamal has extended his contract at Barcelona until 2031, the club announced on Tuesday.
This is a huge deal for Barcelona, locking up arguably the best teenage player on the planet for six seasons. Yamal really came to the spotlight last summer, starting for Spain in the Euros and looking like one of the best players on the team.
This season he has progressed even further, becoming one of the best wingers in Europe and a regular starter for the Catalans.
I thought Yamal was particularly impressive in the Champions League knockout stages, leading Barcelona all the way to the semi-final before being knocked out by Inter Milan in brutal fashion. Yamal scored a goal in each knockout round, the round of 16, quarter finals and semi finals. He looked a danger every time he touched the ball, and finished the competition with five goals and three assists in 13 matches. It could have been much more.
In the league, the stats don’t jump off the page. He scored nine goals and assisted 13 times in 35 appearances. Yamal’s all-around play and skills are better than the numbers suggest, even though those numbers are insanely good for a 17-year-old.
It’s no coincidence that he is a winner, having already won the Euros with Spain, and now winning three domestic trophies with Barcelona last season. Barcelona has done the smart thing here, tying up a potential future Ballon D’or winner for the long term. Who knows, it could be this year as Yamal is one of the names believed to be in the running.
