Yamine Lamal becomes youngest ever to start for Barcelona in Cadiz encounter

Yamal was already the youngest player ever to feature in a league game for FC Barcelona (before had even turned 16 years old) and now he is the youngest to ever be named in the starting line-up. At the age of just 16 years and 38 days, he also becomes the youngest to start for any Liga team this century.

Yamal topped a record held since 2012 by Malaga's Cameroonian starlet Fabrice Olinga.

Dropping from second to third in the list is Iker Muniain, who first started for Athletic Club when he was 16 years and 254 days old in 2009.

Just counting players from the current century, Yamal was even younger today than Ansu Fati and Gavi were when they got their own first starts.

Ansu started against Valencia on 14 September 2019 when he was 16 years and 318 days old. The latter also got his first start against Cádiz, on 23 September 2021, and was 17 years and 49 days old at the time.

Yamal also has time to score his first Barça goal at an even younger age than his team-mate Ansu Fati. The team's youngest goalscorer to date netted against Osasuna in 2019 when he was just 16 years and 304 days old.

Yamal has 266 days to beat that, and it would take a very brave man indeed to bet against it happening. In fact, had it not been a stunning intervention by visiting keeper Conan, he would have done exactly that today.

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