Lamine Yamal‘s rapid rise in elite soccer has taken many by surprise, not only because of his talent but also due to his ability to secure a starting role for both FC Barcelona and the Spain national team at such a young age. However, with plenty of areas still to refine, a World Cup-winning legend has pointed out what he sees as Yamal’s biggest weakness.
At just 17 years old, Yamal’s style is more that of a creative winger than a clinical finisher, regularly setting up chances for teammates Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha. However, Italian legend Francesco Totti believes that the Barcelona star still lacks the goal-scoring efficiency needed to reach the next level.
“He still scores few goals. He’s very strong, he flew at the Euros… It looked like he was flying, then he dropped a bit. He’s doing very well, but he still doesn’t score many goals,” Totti said on the YouTube podcast ¡Viva El Fútbol!
Totti praised Yamal’s performances at EURO 2024, where the young winger was instrumental in Spain’s title-winning campaign, scoring a stunning goal against France in the semifinals. However, since that moment, Yamal has netted 11 goals in 35 matches—a respectable tally, but still far from the numbers produced by elite finishers.
Totti, a 2006 World Cup winner with Italy, was one of the most prolific goal-scorers of his generation. He won the Golden Boot in the 2006-07 season with 26 goals and recorded an incredible 307 goals and 205 assists in 785 matches for AS Roma.
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Yamal’s goal drought in La Liga
Despite establishing himself as one of the best young players in the world this season—scoring his first Champions League goals against Monaco and Atalanta and finding the net in the Spanish Super Cup against Real Madrid—Yamal has struggled to maintain that form in La Liga in 2025.
Barcelona have played seven league matches in the new year, winning six and drawing one, scoring 20 goals in total. However, none of those goals have come from Yamal, who has only registered two assists in that stretch. While he has found the net in the Spanish Super Cup and Copa del Rey, his La Liga drought is becoming increasingly noticeable.
