Leo Messi made his official debut for FC Barcelona on October 16, 2004, in a derby against Espanyol at 17 years, 3 months, and 22 days old. Up to that milestone, he had only appeared in friendlies with the first team. In total, he played seven friendlies, including matches against Porto (his debut at 16 years, 4 months, and 24 days), Banyoles, Figueres, Palamós (where he scored his first goal), Hércules, Kashima Antlers (where he scored again), and Olympique de Marseille.
Messi gentle start to his star soccer career
It’s clear that Messi’s former manager, Frank Rijkaard, was carefully nurturing the young star, taking a slow-and-steady approach to Messi’s grand entrance into the soccer world. But today’s game has little patience for that level of restraint; young talents are breaking boundaries at a pace once unthinkable. Lamine Yamal is the best example of this trend. At 17 years, 3 months, and 13 days, he’s already become a global star—highly coveted by Europe’s top clubs, with one rumored offer reaching a staggering €250 million just six months ago. Now a leading force for both club and country, Yamal capped off his summer by winning the Euro Championship. And today he’s playing in the Clásico against Real Madrid.
His blend of audacity and overwhelming skill makes Lamine Yamal as rare as he is remarkable. In fact, at his current age, Messi was still 11 days away from achieving his dream of an official debut. Not only has Yamal already made his debut over a year ago, but his top-tier performance has driven him to the forefront of world football. Currently, he has 64 official first-team appearances with 12 goals and 7 assists.In those numbers alone, Yamal has surpassed Messi’s early record, with two more matches on the horizon against Real Madrid and Espanyol to further boost these impressive stats.
