There are young players who look promising, and then there is Lamine Yamal — who at just 19 years old already looks like the finished article. The Barcelona winger announced La Liga's 2026/27 season in the most emphatic way possible on Sunday, setting up two goals and scoring one himself as the Catalan giants swept aside Mallorca 4-0 at the Estadi OlÃmpic LluÃs Companys.
It was the kind of display that sends a warning to the rest of Spanish football: Barcelona are back, and their most dangerous weapon is barely out of his teens.
A Performance Full of Intent
From the first whistle, Yamal was a nightmare for Mallorca's defence. Playing off the right, he drifted inside, beat men for fun, and combined with Pedri and Robert Lewandowski in a fluid front line that looked devastating from the first minute. Mallorca tried double-marking him on multiple occasions, and it made no difference whatsoever.
His first contribution came in the 14th minute when he left two defenders trailing with a body feint before sliding a low cross to the back post for Lewandowski to tap in. The Pole barely had to break stride — the delivery was that precise.
Yamal then turned scorer himself on the stroke of half-time, cutting in from the right and curling a left-footed effort beyond the goalkeeper into the far corner. It was the kind of goal that had the Camp Nou faithful on their feet even before the ball hit the net — the technique was immaculate.
The Second Half: More of the Same
Barcelona's manager made clear there would be no let-up after the break, and Yamal continued to pull the strings. A second assist arrived in the 67th minute when he exchanged a quick one-two with Pedri near the edge of the box and laid a perfectly weighted pass into the path of Ferran Torres, who finished coolly with his left foot.
Dani Olmo added a late fourth from a set-piece to round off a thoroughly professional afternoon for the Blaugrana, but it was Yamal who had captured the imagination throughout.
"He's something special," said Barcelona's head coach in his post-match press conference. "We've known that for a while, but on days like today the whole world can see it. He is only going to get better."
A New Season, Same Yamal
The 2025/26 campaign saw Yamal pick up his first La Liga title and reach the semi-finals of the Champions League with Barcelona. This season the target is higher — and if opening day is any indication, he has not spent the summer resting on his laurels.
Still just 19, Yamal remains one of the most sought-after players on the planet. Real Madrid, PSG and Manchester City have all been linked over the past two years, but the player's own position has been consistent: he wants to write history at Barcelona, the club he joined at the age of seven.
On this evidence, he is very much on the right track.
La Liga Opening Weekend: Barcelona Lead the Way
The opening weekend of La Liga's 2026/27 season has produced some outstanding football, with Real Madrid also getting off to a winning start, but few performances have been as eye-catching as Yamal's. His statistics from Sunday — one goal, two assists, six key passes, four successful dribbles — underline just how dominant he was over the course of 90 minutes.
Mallorca, for their part, were not disgraced. They set up well, defended with discipline for long spells, but were ultimately powerless against a player operating at the top of his game. Their manager acknowledged as much after the final whistle: "You can have the best game plan in the world. Some days a player like Yamal just does things you cannot prepare for."
Barcelona's next La Liga fixture comes next weekend, but before that they have the small matter of the UEFA Super Cup. If Yamal's opening-day showing is anything to go by, it is going to be a very long season for their opponents.
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