The superpowers of Marvel's Lamine Yamal: "At 15, I was already superior to 20-year-olds."

Precocity always amazes us, but sometimes it can be a response to the circumstances of the context, not to extraordinary ability. Julio César Baldivieso debuted in the Bolivian professional league at 12 years and 362 days old, and Freddy Adu was, at 14 years old, the youngest player to sign a professional contract in the United States in 2001, when Major League Soccer was just beginning to take shape. This precocity has nothing to do with that of Lamine Yamal , whose emergence in the first world of football at 16 years old and his dominance at 17 is comparable only to that of legends like Pelé or Maradona . Not even Messi did such things at his age. When precocity is associated with the extraordinary, we cannot justify it even with the good work being done at La Masía with the youngsters, of which Cubarsí , Casadó , and Fermín are further proof. No. We can only talk about superpowers, as if Lamine had suffered the same fate as Spiderman, who was bitten by a radioactive spider, as if this footballer were, in fact, a product of fiction. Jorge Valdano once said that Romario was a cartoon player, given his movements in the penalty area. Lamine is much more than that, a Marvel superhero.

He can be Spiderman when he glides down the wing as if climbing a wall, barely touching it. He can be Captain America , always making the right call for his team. He can be Thor if needed, to find the decisive solution when there's no other option, as he did against Espanyol to seal the league title or draw against France in the European Championship. Two goals with the same stroke and strike. A run in, parallel to the area, and a shot reminiscent of the best Messi, but not a Messi at 17 years old.

The Argentine debuted at that age in an official match with the Barça first team, against Espanyol, but his breakthrough came later. He made 100 appearances just before turning 21. Lamine played his first official match with Barcelona at 15, against Betis, and reached his centenary in the first leg against Inter, probably in his most complete match as a Barça player.

Given the colossal body of work of Messi, arguably the greatest player in history, the comparison is more than irreverent, it's sacrilegious, but it's inevitable, as he is also a product of the same upbringing at La Masía. The youth academy is the context that allows talent to emerge, and that success cannot be denied to La Masía, but there is no youth academy that guarantees the emergence of such talents. Simone Inzaghi said it clearly after knocking Barça out of the Champions League final: "A player like Lamine Yamal comes along every 50 years."

More assists than goals

The comparison of the first 100 matches, however, already reveals some distinguishing features. Messi scored almost twice as many goals (41-22), while Lamine provided more than twice as many assists (33-15). Both started identically, with the Argentine having one more (76-77). You can be a difference-maker on the pitch without scoring, but high-flying leagues and accolades demand it, and Lamine knows this. During the midfield, he even overshadowed the striker, who, on the other hand, scored decisive goals. He has scored in three of the four Clásicos played this season, in all but the Cup final.

Comparisons, always odious, will therefore provide much to discuss, but first we must ask ourselves whether Lamine will be able to stay at the top or whether the ball will end up being the stumbling block. Football serves as an example for everything. If he succeeds, we must also question his progress, how and where he can improve. To get answers, there's nothing like approaching those who have worked closely with this new Mozart of the ball.

Óscar López was his last coach, in the Blaugrana U19s, from where he rose to the first team after devouring stages in bite-sized chunks. "What you see now, at 17, we already saw at 15, because at that age he was facing 20-year-old players in the Youth League and outperforming them," explains the coach, who is also not surprised by leadership displays like the one he displayed against Inter. "When I watched the game," he continues, "that way of carrying the team on his shoulders, I remembered a game we played against Mallorca. At halftime we were losing 2-0, and I told the players the things we needed to change. Without a single thought or a single word, Lamine decided to change everything on his own."

Introverted in the locker room

Born in Esplugues de Llobregat but raised in the Rocafonda neighborhood of Mataró, in a harsh environment, Barça made an exception for Lamine, on the advice of Jordi Roura , to allow him to live at La Masia, something unusual for children living in Barcelona or nearby towns, thus avoiding risks. López doesn't believe they exist today: "He's very mature for his age, he knows what things cost, and he's clear about what he wants. He's introverted, but he always makes the right decisions, just like he does on the pitch."

"Of course he has room for improvement, but I don't see it affecting his position. With me, he played as a winger, like now, and as an inside midfielder, but it's in the first position where he's decisive, given his abilities. I don't see him moving to the center, as happened with Messi." The left is the dominant leg of a practically ambidextrous player, who plays on the right with his opposite leg, from where every diagonal towards the center, like the one he sealed the league title with or the one he scored against Villarreal, is a display of superpowers, half Spiderman, half Thor.