Lamine Yamal outshines Lionel Messi and makes Champions League history with goal against Inter

Lamine Yamal continues to deliver a breakout campaign in the 2024–25 season, and at just 17 years old, he’s already being hailed as one of the brightest young talents in world soccer. On a massive stage against Inter Milan, the FC Barcelona phenom made Champions League history—eclipsing a milestone that even Lionel Messi never achieved.

Barcelona hosted Inter Milan at the Olympic Stadium in Montjuïc for the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semifinals, but the match began in shocking fashion. Marcus Thuram put Inter ahead just 30 seconds in, and Denzel Dumfries doubled the lead in the 21st minute. Yet in his 100th appearance for the club, Yamal provided the spark Barcelona needed.

In the second half, Yamal produced a brilliant solo effort—beating Henrikh Mkhitaryan off the dribble and slotting a composed finish into the far post to cut the deficit. It was a goal that not only lifted his team but etched his name into Champions League history.

At 17 years and 291 days old, Lamine Yamal is now the youngest player ever to score in a Champions League semifinal. He surpassed the previous record set by Kylian Mbappé, who scored for Monaco at 18 years and 140 days in 2017.

Doing what Messi didn’t

Lionel Messi built his legendary status at FC Barcelona, becoming the club’s all-time leading scorer and one of the most prolific players in Champions League history. But even Messi couldn’t manage what Yamal just did.

Yamal scored against Inter Milan in his very first appearance against the Italian side—something Messi never accomplished during his time at the club. Barca and Inter faced each other eight times during Messi’s era, but the Argentine featured in only four of those matches.

In those four games, Messi registered zero goals and one assist, which came during the 2019–20 edition of the competition. While Yamal has made it clear he doesn’t embrace comparisons with Messi, his impact in such a high-stakes match only adds to the growing buzz around his meteoric rise.