Lamine Yamal Matches a Lionel Messi Record That Had Stood for 14 Years

The Barcelona forward scored twice in a 4-2 victory over Levante at the Ciutat de València, recording his third consecutive league game with two goals.

Records took center stage during this LaLiga matchday.

Just hours after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang matched a feat that had not been achieved since Zlatan Ibrahimovic in 2009, Lamine Yamal followed by reaching a mark last accomplished by Lionel Messi.

But the significance of the achievement goes even further.

With braces against Rayo Vallecano, Valencia, and now Levante, Lamine Yamal became the first player to score at least twice in three of his team’s opening five matches of a LaLiga season since Messi did it in 2012.

Fourteen years later, another product of La Masia has reached the same mark.

Three Consecutive Braces for Lamine Yamal

The No. 10 has made a spectacular start to the season.

After scoring twice against both Rayo Vallecano and Valencia, Lamine Yamal arrived in Valencia with the opportunity to extend a streak that was already attracting plenty of attention.

He did not take long.

Xavi Espart opened the scoring after just five minutes with his first goal for the senior team, and in the 19th minute, Lamine Yamal struck to make it 2-0 after an assist from Raphinha.

His second arrived shortly after halftime.

Aïssa Mandi committed a foul on the Spanish forward inside the penalty area, and Lamine Yamal stepped up to convert from the spot and temporarily make it 3-0.

It was his second goal of the afternoon, his third consecutive brace in LaLiga, and the strike that placed his name alongside Lionel Messi.

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From Messi to Lamine Yamal, 14 Years Later

Comparisons between the two have followed Lamine Yamal almost from the moment he broke into the Barcelona first team, but his numbers are now producing parallels that are increasingly difficult to ignore.

The last time a player recorded at least three braces within his team’s opening five matches of a LaLiga season was in 2012.

That player was Lionel Messi.

Now Lamine Yamal has matched the feat at just 19 years old while wearing the same No. 10 shirt that belonged to the Argentine for so many years.

His production also explains a significant part of the perfect start made by Hansi Flick’s team.

Barcelona has won its opening five LaLiga matches and reached 15 points after defeating Levante, remaining at the top of the standings.

Barcelona Wins but Is Made to Suffer

The score reached 3-0, but the match was far from over.

Iván Romero pulled one back for Levante in the 79th minute before Roger Brugué made it 3-2 in the 88th, forcing Barcelona to endure a tense finish.

The visitors finally found some breathing room in stoppage time.

Karim Adeyemi produced an individual effort to score the final goal in the 4-2 victory and secure a fifth consecutive league win for the Catalan side.

Barcelona continues its perfect start.

And while Hansi Flick’s team keeps collecting victories, Lamine Yamal is beginning the season by reaching milestones that inevitably bring back the name of the most important player in the club’s recent history.

First, it was Aubameyang matching Ibrahimovic.

Hours later, Lamine Yamal did the same with Messi.

Two records that had been waiting for more than a decade for someone to repeat them.