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Real Madrid and Barcelona have given the iconic jersey number 10 to new players, Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal.
With the two stars destined to face off again in much more significant duels, we have taken a look at an argument about the two players.
Is Lamine Yamal a better player than Kylian Mbappe was at the age of 18? Is the argument even justified at all in the first place, or is it disrespectful to say the least?
💫Lamine Yamal: Barcelona’s New No. 10:
At 18 now, Lamine Yamal is already rewriting football’s record books. He became Spain’s youngest-ever scorer in Euro qualifying at 16 years and 57 days.
He shattered multiple UEFA Euro finals records: youngest player (16 years 338 days), youngest to assist and score (16 years 362 days). He won Euro 2024, becoming the youngest player to do so at just 17 years and one day.
Yes, all these feats seem to be related to the Euros, but that’s not all there is to say about the young man.
Yamal also holds Barcelona records for the youngest La Liga debutant and scorer (16 years 87 days), youngest Champions League assist (16 years 153 days), youngest to start a CL game (16 years 83 days), and youngest brace scorer in La Liga (16 years 213 days).
💫Kylian Mbappe: Real Madrid’s New No. 10:
Similarly, Kylian Mbappé at 18 was already a world-renowned superstar. His 2016–17 breakthrough at Monaco yielded 26 goals and 14 assists in 44 games and a Ligue 1 title.
He scored 6 Champions League goals as Monaco reached the semifinals—massively outperforming expectations for his age.
In August 2017, aged 18, he moved to PSG on loan (with a €180m permanent option), becoming the most expensive teenager in history.
At 18, Mbappé had already debuted for France and led them to a FIFA World Cup in his early 19s, scoring in the final to become the youngest French scorer in a World Cup Final, second only to Pelé.
🔵 Lamine Yamal – Career Stats at Age 18:
🔥Barcelona (first team): 106 official appearances, with 59 goals and assists across all competitions. Won La Liga, Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup.
🔥International (Spain): 20 caps by mid-2025, 6 goals (including Nations League exploits) and key contributor to Spain’s Euro 2024 win; youngest-ever scorer and appearance.
🔥Awards: Youngest-ever Golden Boy winner (17y 137d), Kopa Trophy, Euro 2024 Young Player of the Tournament.
🔴 Kylian Mbappé – Career Stats at Age 18:
🔥Monaco (2015-17): 58 official games, 43 goals and assists, winning Ligue 1 and reaching Champions League semis; scored 6 UCL knockout goals.
🔥France debut: Broke in aged 18 in 2017; made 10 senior apps, 4 G+A before turning 19.
🔥Major move: August 2017, joined PSG on loan, eventually became permanent (€180 million), making him the most expensive teenager ever.
🔥Awards: Golden Boy winner, Kopa Trophy (1st ever to win it), Ligue 1 Young Player of the Season 2017.
Not yet World Cup: Won the 2018 World Cup at 19, scoring in the final—but all pre-World Cup achievements occurred before turning 19.
🧠 Disrespect or Justified?
It’s easy to draw comparisons—but the two stories are different.
Yamal’s rise is built on circumstance (Barca’s financial struggles and need to rely on academy products instead of signings) and fortune (he happened to be a Barca player instead of a Monaco one).
Mbappé’s meteoric path was defined by good fortune (he happened to be part of a crop of young Monaco stars that would dominate for years to come, along with Bernardo Silva, etc and part of a very talented France national team).
While Yamal has the team honours to show for at 18 for everything his won with Barca and Spain, Kylian Mbappe had a superior goals and assists per game ratio for his goal contributions in fewer games played at 18.
Yamal is earning his by rewriting history now, and seeing as he just turned 18, there’s no telling what he does before 19. Neither set of achievements invalidates the other; rather, both reflect what football’s greatest talents can achieve by just 18.
Yamal draws justified comparisons with Mbappé’s teenage years—but calling it disrespectful to compare them may be premature. One is forging his legacy in real time; the other has already defined it.
🔗You can check out today’s games here on MSport.
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