Lamine Yamal has rapidly shot up to become one of the highest earners at Barcelona, pocketing a salary of around €30m a year with his new contract.
The Spain international is one of the biggest wonderkids in world football right now, having really burst onto the scene at Euro 2024 last year before helping Barcelona win the double this season.
Yamal is still only 17 years of age, and was lighting up the Euros with the Spanish national team when he was still just 16.
The teenager’s rapid rise seemingly meant a huge pay rise at Barcelona was inevitable, according to the Athletic.
Lamine Yamal’s incredible form was impossible for Barcelona to ignore
Barcelona wouldn’t want to be taking any risks with a generational talent like Yamal, with the Athletic suggesting that club sources always felt he would have to be given huge wages upon signing a new contract.
Yamal finished 2024/25 with 18 goals and 21 assists in total, as noted by the Athletic, and just from watching Hansi Flick’s side, it’s clear how important he is.
Others such as Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Pedri are also obviously crucial to the way the team plays, but Yamal can change a game in an instant with his spark, quality, and intelligence.
Lamine Yamal – the best teenager ever?
Yamal is arguably ahead of where even all-time greats like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were at the same age, so is he the best teenager the sport has ever seen?
Speaking on Stick To Football on YouTube, Gary Neville recently said he felt Yamal could be the best teenager football has seen for many, many years.
“He’s got 100 games under his belt, he’s won a Euros, played at 16 in a European Championship, I don’t think there’s anybody who’s had that impact in the last 30, 40 years as a teenager. I can’t think of anybody,” Neville said.
Meanwhile, former La Masia coach Pau Moral recently told BBC Sport: “For me, Messi is the best in history. But if everyone involved with Lamine helps – the environment, friends, family, sometimes you get an injury – if everything goes well, if he takes good decisions and works like he is, I don’t want to say better than Messi but he is on the way…”
How Lamine Yamal’s Barcelona rise helped Chelsea out
Goal of the semi-finals ?
Lamine Yamal’s incredible strike wins it! ????#EUROGOTT | @AlipayPlus pic.twitter.com/BMzFOgLEkG
— UEFA EURO (@UEFAEURO) July 14, 2024
Interestingly, Barcelona were considering signing Estevao Willian before Chelsea won the race for his signature.
However, Yamal broke through at just the right time, convincing his club that they didn’t need to move for the Brazilian wonderkid, who plays in the same position.
Speaking to CaughtOffside about this last year, Fabrizio Romano said: “Chelsea were one of several clubs interested in Estevao, but in reality all of the top European clubs were very attentive to his situation.
“He was on Barcelona’s list for example, and they wanted him before Lamine Yamal started to show what an exceptional talent he is.”
