Where Were Football's Modern Greats At Lamine Yamal's Age?

Where Were Football's Modern Greats at Lamine Yamal's Age? (Image Source: Google)

Over the past two years, Barcelona has churned out yet another incredible academy prospect in the form of teenage sensation Lamine Yamal. The prodigious winger was given his professional debut at the back end of the 2022/23 campaign under former manager Xavi at the age of just 15, before making waves the following year. Throughout the 2023/25 season, the Esplugues de Llobregat-born superstar made a mighty 50 appearances at just 16, breaking into the Spanish national team and helping them claim a record-breaking fourth European Championship at Euro 2024. 

Yamal's Trophy Laden Year 

This season, Yamal has developed further. Despite not turning 18 until July 13th, Yamal has once again featured prominently, appearing 54 times in all competitions, netting 19 times and providing a further 25 assists. But not only that; the 17-year-old has been the main man in a Blaugrana side that has just completed a domestic treble, winning La Liga, the Copa Del Rey, and the Spanish Super Cup. But while the Catalonians have resoundingly asserted their dominance over archrivals Real Madrid, Los Blancos will have one last chance to save their season while Yamal and Barcelona sit on the sidelines. 

That, of course, comes in this summer's FIFA Club World Cup, and online sports betting sites make the giants from the Spanish capital a favorite to go all the way. The latest online sports betting odds earmark them and English Premier League side Manchester City as +450 joint favorites to leave MetLife Stadium on July 13th with the trophy. But for Yamal, attention will now turn toward a summer break, before hitting the ground running next season. 

Few footballers have shone so brightly at such a young age, and if Yamal can continue to demonstrate this level of performance throughout the entirety of his career, he will certainly go down in the history books as one of the very best. But where were the game's modern greats at Yamal's tender age? Let's take a look. 

Cristiano Ronaldo

Lamine Yamal is currently just over a month out from his 18th birthday. At the same age, Cristiano Ronaldo was still with boyhood club Sporting CP and was just capturing the attention of scouts from Europe's biggest clubs. Long before he became known as CR7, the Portuguese sensation had begun to nail down a starting berth for the first time in Lisbon. 

He would make 31 appearances in all competitions, mostly from the bench, scoring six times and providing five assists. He was yet to win any silverware, although he was on the bench for a 5-1 Portuguese Super Cup victory against Leixões. Yamal, meanwhile, has already racked up well over 100 professional appearances for Barcelona, plus 19 appearances for Spain, and has won five major trophies for both club and country. 

At the end of Ronaldo's maiden campaign as a senior with Sporting, he would make the move to Manchester United and begin his ascent to becoming a global superstar. However, he didn't make his 100th senior appearance until he was 20 years of age and he would have to wait a further two years for his first league title. 

Lionel Messi 

Like Yamal, Lionel Messi also came through the ranks at Barcelona, but his ascent to superstardom wasn't quite as rapid. He broke into the Blaugrana senior setup at 17, but only made seven appearances in his maiden campaign, and they were all off the bench. The following year, the Argentinian made 17 starts and broke into the national team before his season ended with an injury, but he did receive winners' medals for both La Liga and the UEFA Champions League. 

Bodog Rewind™️

2005: Lionel Messi scores his first ever goal paying for Barcelona…

It would be the start of an iconic career that most consider the Greatest of All Time!

pic.twitter.com/gFAT8gvIAV

— Bodog (@BodogCA) May 1, 2025

By the age of 19, however, Messi was beginning to develop into the player who would dominate the beautiful game for the better part of 15 years. He became a starter at the Camp Nou alongside Samuel Eto'o and Ronaldinho, while also starting every game for Argentina at the 2007 Copa America. A broken metatarsal did limit his game time somewhat, but by this point, the Argentinian was morphing into a genius. 

At the age of 20, Messi was Barcelona's next great hope. He played 40 times in the 2007/08 season, and he was the one bright spark in a disappointing Blaugrana season. A year later, Pep Guardiola took charge in Catalonia, shipping out the likes of Ronaldinho and Deco and making Messi the unquestionable star of the show. The rest, as they say, is history. 

Kylian Mbappe 

Current Real Madrid man Kylian Mbappe developed a little earlier than both Messi and Ronaldo, and at a similar rate to his rival, Yamal, over in Barcelona. He made his debut for boyhood club AS Monaco a week shy of his 17th birthday, becoming the youngest player in the club's history. The Frenchman made just nine appearances in his debut campaign, scoring once, but in his sophomore year, he would become a superstar. 

Aged 18, Mbappe forged a lethal partnership with Colombian striker Radamel Falcao. The duo led Monaco to the UEFA Champions League semifinals as well as the Ligue 1 title, beating the heavily favored Paris Saint-Germain to the title in the process. Still aged 18, Mbappe then led France to FIFA World Cup glory in Russia, before sealing a move to the aforementioned Parisians for a whopping €180m, the second most expensive transfer in history at the time, behind then PSG teammate Neymar.