Lamine Yamal carried his hot streak into this season, netting a brace and an assist for Barcelona in their 6-1 win over Alaves, making for an incredible 12 goals and 11 assists in 14 appearances.
The 19-year-old showed of his exceptional talent once again as he finished third in the latest Ballon d’Or voting, a ranking that drew inevitable comparison with former Barcelona star Lionel Messi.
Yamal is the first player to score both goals and assists for a Spanish club before October since Messi did so in 2011.
The Argentine had a stunning 2011-12 season, ending the season on a record 73 goals for club and country, along with 30 assists. He had netted 15 times and assisted 11 goals in his first 14 games of that season.
Hence, Yamal’s recent figures are not far from the numbers achieved by the cult hero in the beginning of his season, although he was slightly more productive per minute.
In the meantime, Raphinha has also been in fine form this season, netting a brace in the win over Alaves to make him 15 goals in 11 La Liga outings this term.
The Brazil is the first since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2014-15 to reach that milestone so early in a season in the top flight.
Both having scored great numbers, Barcelona will be hoping this form continues as they look to dominate their domestic league and European competition.
