Lamine Yamal should have ended his first Barcelona appearance with a goal and an assist. It was April 29, 2023, and the then-15-year-old was chucked into a meaningless game against Real Betis. The Blaugrana were leading 4-0 at the time, and having already sealed the title, Xavi had little to lose in turning to La Masia’s latest starlet.
Yamal’s impact, though, was near-immediate. He touched the ball 12 times, poked an effort on goal, and played an inch-perfect pass over the top of the Betis defence that Ousmane Dembele should have tucked away. Perhaps understandably, he didn’t play another minute in the 2022-23 season – the kid still had to worry about his maths homework, after all. But the impact had ben made, his potential influence known.
Nine months on, and Yamal, still 16, has four goal contributions for Barca. Statistically, he is one of the most effective dribblers in La Liga, while the eye test alone suggests that Barca are simply better when Yamal is strutting, scampering and darting down the right-wing.
And yet Xavi remains reluctant to use him. Instead, Raphinha, Ferran Torres and even Joao Cancelo have been preferred in Yamal’s favoured position, and that needs to change. Barca are stumbling to a halt in La Liga, and could squander their most obvious chance at a trophy if they lose to Athletic Club in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday.
Xavi needs to put his best players on the pitch to not only bring success to Catalunya, but also save his own job, and so it’s time to let Yamal prove that he can grow into being one of the world’s best.