Lamine Yamal‘s meteoric rise in world soccer continues to astonish fans, and his latest achievement has further solidified his status as one of the sport’s brightest young talents. In FC Barcelona‘s clash against Benfica, the Spanish prodigy reached a remarkable milestone in UEFA Champions League history — one that came even earlier than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Facing a tough challenge at Montjuic Stadium, FC Barcelona took on Benfica to secure a place in the Champions League quarterfinals following a narrow 1-0 first-leg result. The Catalan side struck early when Yamal delivered a perfectly timed pass to Raphinha, who found the net in the 11th minute.
Benfica quickly responded with an equalizer in the 13th minute, but Barcelona reclaimed the lead when Yamal produced a stunning strike into the top corner. The teenager’s brilliance continued as Raphinha sealed the win with his second goal, confirming Barcelona’s place in the next round.
Yamal outshines Messi and Ronaldo
In the game against Benfica, Lamine Yamal became the youngest player in Champions League history to score and assist in a single game. The Spanish young star achieved this feat at just 17 years and 241 days.
For comparison, Lionel Messi first accomplished the same milestone in the 2005-06 Champions League group stage at the age of 18, when Barcelona defeated Panathinaikos 5-0, with Messi contributing a goal and an assist.
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In Cristiano Ronaldo‘s case, it took longer to reach this achievement. The Portuguese star achieved the feat in the 2006-07 Champions League quarterfinals at the age of 22, when Manchester United thrashed AS Roma 7-1, with Ronaldo scoring two goals and registering one assist.
So far, Yamal has tallied 3 goals and 5 assists in 19 Champions League appearances. Additionally, he is set to break Julian Draxler‘s record for the most Champions League knockout round appearances before turning 18 if he plays in the quarterfinals. This would mark yet another remarkable achievement in Yamal’s already impressive career.
