After watching Lamine Yamal put his Inter Milan team under pressure from the sideline, Simone Inzaghi commented that talents like the Barcelona teenager only come around once every 50 years.
“He’s the kind of talent that comes along once every 50 years. I had never seen him in action before, and today he really impressed me,” said Inzaghi, following Yamal’s contribution to Barcelona’s exciting 3-3 draw in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semifinal.
“Yamal gave us a lot of trouble in the final 25 minutes of the first half.”
At just 17 years and 291 days old, Yamal made history by becoming the youngest player to score in a Champions League semifinal, breaking Kylian Mbappé’s record, who was 18 when he set it in 2017.
Barcelona’s coach, Hansi Flick, also praised the young star, calling him “a genius” after his performance in his 100th senior appearance.
“He’s a special talent. I’ve said it before—he’s a genius,” Flick said. “He steps up in big moments, and I believe he enjoyed the experience. I’m happy that such rare talent, like Simone mentioned, belongs to Barcelona.”
Although Yamal had previously downplayed comparisons to Lionel Messi in his pre-match press conference, his performance on the field echoed Messi’s finest moments, with teammates passing him the ball and allowing him to break down Inter’s defense on the right flank.
Whenever Yamal had possession, he either looked for teammates in better scoring positions or skillfully dribbled past defenders. His goal was one for the highlight reels.
Inter had a 2-0 lead, having scored through Marcus Thuram and Denzel Dumfries, and it seemed as though they had closed down Yamal in the 24th minute. But he dodged one defender, sprinted past another, and, after positioning the ball on his left foot, curled it past at least two more Inter players. It hit the far post and nestled in the net.
He nearly scored again shortly after, gliding past two defenders and firing a shot from a tight angle that bounced off the crossbar.
“Unbelievable,” Manchester City’s Erling Haaland posted on Snapchat, sharing a screenshot of Yamal’s near-miss.
Former Manchester United player Rio Ferdinand rated Yamal above all players in the top five leagues worldwide.
Yamal set up Ferran Torres and Dani Olmo, whose shots were saved by Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer. Raphinha then took control, heading the ball to Torres, who scored the equalizer before halftime.
Although Dumfries gave Inter the lead once more, Raphinha leveled the score with a long-range shot. Despite the thrilling play, Yamal felt disappointed that Barcelona didn’t claim victory.
“The world can see how good he is. He’s a player who stands out,” said Inter’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
“We tried to stop him, but it was difficult because of his immense talent. I hope we manage to limit him more in the second leg.”
Yamal, however, kept his focus on the upcoming match, appreciating the praise but looking ahead.
“I’m happy to have helped the team, but now we need to push for more,” he said.
“We knew we could have won, but our attention is now on the second leg and progressing further.”
