Lamine Yamal marked another milestone in his remarkable rise with Barcelona on Monday, reaching 50 goals for the Catalan club in style as the defending champions beat Rayo Vallecano 5-2 at Spotify Camp Nou.
The 19-year-old scored Barcelona’s second goal with a stunning curling left-footed strike from just inside the box, sending the ball into the top corner of the net. The goal was not only his first of the season but also his 50th for the Barcelona first team.
Yamal, who was 19 years and 49 days old when he reached the landmark, became the youngest player in Barcelona history to score 50 goals for the senior side, surpassing the previous club milestone held by Josep Escola, who reached 50 goals in 1935 at the age of 20 years and 356 days.
The achievement adds another remarkable chapter to a career that has progressed at extraordinary speed. Almost three years have passed since Yamal scored his first goal for Barcelona, when the club travelled to Granada on October 8, 2023.
That goal had already placed his name in the record books, as it made him the youngest goalscorer in La Liga history. Since then, the teenager has developed into one of Barcelona’s most important players and one of the leading young talents in world football.
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Yamal’s latest record is even more striking when compared with two of the biggest names of his generation. Across Europe’s big five leagues, taking all competitions into account, only Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland had previously reached 50 goals at such a young age.
Mbappe achieved the feat at 19 years and 241 days, while Haaland reached 50 goals at 20 years and 196 days. Yamal has now surpassed both of them. Argentine superstar Lionel Messi reached the 50-goal milestone for Barcelona at 21 years and 120 days.
The teenager was not finished after reaching his half-century. He added another precise finish in the second half to take his Barcelona tally to 51 goals.
Raphinha also scored twice as Barcelona maintained their perfect start to the season and moved to the top of the LaLiga table. Rayo had taken an early lead through Sergio Camello in the 12th minute after Alvaro Garcia set him up, but Raphinha equalised seven minutes later before Yamal put Barcelona ahead two minutes after that.
