Barcelona have made club history ahead of their clash with Atletico Madrid at Camp Nou on Sunday.
Xavi’s side lead La Liga by 11 points, and with just nine games left of the season they look set to snatch the Spanish crown from rivals Real Madrid, who trail in second.
Now, in what has already been an impressive season, they have made history by including their youngest ever player in a matchday squad, with La Masia talent Lamine Yamal joining the first team despite being just 15 years old.
The attacker, who plays on the right wing by trade, has already been capped at U19 level by Spain and is regarded as one of the World’s best young talents.
During his time with the U18 national side, he scored 4 times in 5 outings, and has made 6 appearances for the Blaugrana in this season’s UEFA youth league.
Now, he is being trusted at senior level.
🚨 The squad for #BarçaAtleti! pic.twitter.com/onyU4XoUQL
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 22, 2023
However, Barca boss Xavi has no fears about shoving him in at the deep end.
“Trust me, Lamine Yamal has really tremendous skills. He can mark an era at this club”, Xavi explained when asked about the surprise inclusion.
“We are not afraid to call him, as Lamine can help us despite being 15 years old. He has a lot of personality and talent”.
With the club reportedly ready to cut loose one of their senior attackers this summer in a bid to comply with financial fair play, Yamal could prove just the tonic.
