Summary
Lamine Yamal is one of the most exciting wonderkids in football history.
The 17-year-old competed in his 100th professional game in the 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano.
Yamal’s stats after 100 games have been compared to Lionel Messi’s and Cristiano Ronaldo’s.
It has been a long time since a wonderkid has caused such excitement and fanfare in the same way as Lamine Yamal. The Barcelona academy graduate has been putting the world on notice ever since he was 15 years old, and his exploits are giving him a genuine chance at becoming the youngest ever Ballon d’Or winner – a record currently held by a certain Ronaldo Nazario.
In his short time as a professional, Yamal has starred for both club and country, helping them to numerous collective honours while also being named the recipient of both the Kopa Trophy and the European Golden Boy award in 2024. His remarkable achievements thus far have only seen expectations for the teenager grow, with many expecting the Spaniard to fill the shoes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as Europe’s next dominant superstar.
It is still far too early to assume he will definitely reach that level, but what we can do is compare how the winger stacks up against Messi and Ronaldo at the same point in their careers. Given that Yamal has just completed his 100th game of professional football, now seems like the perfect time to analyse how he has done in comparison to the legendary duo.
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Lamine Yamal’s Stats After 100 Games
The winger has already won silverware with his country
Straight off the bat, Yamal has already achieved one thing that both Messi and Ronaldo didn’t do until much later in their careers – win a major tournament with their national teams. Of course, that honour came at Euro 2024, when a then 16-year-old Yamal stole the show as Spain went all the way, eventually beating England in the final.
The winger broke numerous records during the tournament, including becoming the youngest player and the youngest goalscorer in European Championship history. He has continued to be just as dominant since and is slowly becoming all the more reliable with his finishing and chance creation.
In 100 games, Yamal has 21 goals to his name and has also added a further 30 assists. He also has 17 international caps to his name and has lifted one La Liga title and the Spanish Super Cup, along with the success he managed in the summer of 2024. All this at still just 17 years of age.
Lamine Yamal’s Stats After 100 Games
Goals
21
Assists
30
Minutes
6,681
International Caps
17
Trophies
3
Individual Honours
10
Age for 100th Game
17 years, 7 months, 5 days
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Lionel Messi’s Stats After 100 Games
The Argentine also broke through at Barcelona
Like Yamal, Messi’s breakthrough came after graduating from the famous La Masia academy, although the future eight-time Ballon d’Or winner had a slightly tougher task in breaking into the first team, with legends like Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto’o occupying some of the attacking positions at the time.
While Messi was a far greater goalscorer in his youth than Yamal, just two goal contributions separate the two players, with it being in the Argentine’s favour. By his 100th game, Messi had 40 goals and 13 assists (almost double the number of goals but less than half the number of assists).
In terms of accolades, the little magician had already picked up a Champions League within his first century of appearances and had two La Liga titles to his name. While he had managed to win in youth competitions for Argentina, senior silverware would elude him until his thirties, but of his 100 games, 19 came in the blue and white of his country.
Lionel Messi’s Stats After 100 Games
Goals
40
Assists
13
Minutes
6,457
International Caps
19
Trophies
5
Individual Honours
1
Age for 100th Game
20 years, 3 months, 14 days
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Cristiano Ronaldo’s Stats After 100 Games
Ronaldo took a little longer to develop at Manchester United
While both Yamal and Messi began their careers at one of the biggest clubs in European football, Ronaldo’s path was different. The Portuguese star first appeared for Sporting CP in his native country before securing a move to Manchester United after tearing apart John O’Shea in a pre-season friendly.
Brash, raw, and full of stepovers, the player who would go on to become the greatest goalscorer in football history was not apparent at this point in Ronaldo’s career, as he was far too busy entertaining the masses rather than producing an end product. That is why he is statistically the weakest of the three players, as he didn’t start really hitting his stride until after his 100th appearance. He also played fewer minutes across the 100 games due to the competitive nature and his adaptation at Old Trafford.
There were no league titles that came Ronaldo’s way during this period either, as the Red Devils were undergoing a period of transition. He did, however, score in an FA Cup final victory and played in the Euro 2004 final, where Portugal were shockingly beaten by Greece.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Stats After 100 Games
Goals
17
Assists
19
Minutes
5,563
International Caps
17
Trophies
2
Individual Honours
0
Age for 100th Game
19 years, 8 months, 20 days
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Conclusion
Yamal ahead of Messi and Ronaldo at his stage of his career
When looking at the figures, it’s clear that Ronaldo took a little longer to reach the heights that Yamal and Messi managed after their 100 games. As for who comes out on top between the two Barca stars, it’s a tough one to call. Statistically, Messi just about edges it, and his goals per minute ratio is also far better than the Spaniard’s. However, Yamal is in arguably a worse team than when Messi broke through and is younger than the Argentine was, yet continues to put up comparable figures.
Furthermore, Yamal is far ahead when it comes to individual accolades. Now, some of that has to be attributed to the fact that Messi was never eligible for awards such as the European Golden Boy, but nevertheless, the current wonderkid has made his mark on the game in a way that at the same stage of his career, Messi never quite managed. Now, all that’s left to be seen is if the Spanish international can continue that for the rest of his career and go stride for stride with the two greatest there’s ever been.
All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt and Messi vs Ronaldo – accurate as of 18/02/2025.
