Despite being only 17 years old, Lamine Yamal is already expected to perform like the best players in the world… and his biggest critics had been pointing out his poor goal-scoring figures for several months. However, he made his return at the Metropolitano to help complete a comeback against Atlético Madrid, bringing Barcelona closer to the La Liga title.

Since when had Lamine Yamal not scored in La Liga?

Since Barcelona won decisively against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu last October and Lamine Yamal became the youngest player to score in El Clásico, he had been able to provide five assists, but had not scored again in La Liga. A small crisis that came to an end after 13 games and 141 days.

"I was sure that if I scored, it would be in important games. I don't pay much attention to it, honestly. Everything is about helping the team, if we win, I don't care whether I score or not," said Lamine Yamal after the match. It’s worth remembering that, last Tuesday, he scored again against Benfica a month later, becoming the youngest player in Champions League history to score and assist in the same game.

Flick praises Lamine Yamal

Last season, Lamine Yamal scored seven goals and registered seven assists across 50 matches during his first full year with Barcelona. This season, however, he has already scored 13 goals and provided 17 assists… in 38 matches. That means he has doubled his figures from last season and, for some, it's still not enough.

Not so for Hansi Flick, who again praised Lamine Yamal’s performance in a big venue like the Metropolitano… and against a team like Atlético Madrid: “He had another great game. The goal is important, of course, he has the quality to score.” If it was necessary to highlight his season, Lamine Yamal is the player under 21 with the most goals produced (30) in the five major European leagues.