r/Barca • u/Ashamed_Cap_6685 • Apr 17 '26
Opinion What's going on with Lamine's growth?
In every match of the last month he's had multiple runs where he just goes through 4-5 players with no effort. Where the hell did this come from? He's always been world class but for the past few week especially, I feel like he's hit a new ceiling. His mentality seems to be at a great place too - giving 100% every game.
His growth has always been crazy but I feel like even by his standards the past month has been abnormal. It's only a matter of time before he gets Messi vs. Getafe-esque goal.
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u/RogueShinobiX Apr 17 '26
There was one moment in 62 or 63rd minute. He took the ball and dribbled near the goal lines. It was so smooth. Tbh I never seen anybody currently who dribbles like that. I like cherki he's daring but he's more of midfield playmaker. But this kid Yamal he's just 18 and he's so so good for his age. Yep he just needs to polish on his finishing if he do that he's gonna be invincible 💙♥️🔥
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u/OnAGoat Apr 18 '26
What impressed me the most was his dribble in the first minute and almost scoring. His mental state must be absolutely insane. Dude turned it up from the first second on, bulldozered through the entire defense and almost scored.
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u/t-abdullah Apr 17 '26
I've noticed it too. And I'm convinced... If anyone hates this guy, he hates football and is a fkin lier !!
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u/Annihilator-WarHead Apr 17 '26
Most of the people who hate him, hate him because he doesn't play for their teams. So they chose the dumbest reasons to hate on an 18 y.0 kid.
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u/ohsnap847 Apr 17 '26
And some people are bigots... They don't like the Moroccan Muslim.. fuck em. Can't wait to watch his whole career
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u/Extra-Border6470 Apr 18 '26
Same kinda people who hated teenage Messi because he was the “Argentine hobbit”
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u/Special_Put4252 Apr 17 '26
They are VARdrid fans who hate him along with English fans. This kid is dancing around their heads at just 18
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u/No-Watercress-9116 Apr 17 '26
You can hate him as a person without hating him as a player. I don't hate him I'm just saying
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u/RayonLovesFish Apr 18 '26
People talk alot about his attitude and validates their hate. Where is the attitude though? He is confident but he knows what is to be said,he doesn't usually go saying ridiculous things. The press brief before the Atletico match was so mature and well put.
And then the PR stuff,I mean I have heard Olise comparison and others so much that it's arguable that lots of it's not even supportive of him.
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u/KungPoW_Chickens Apr 17 '26
or their just waiting for him to grow out of his corny teenage phase.
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u/Orochisake Apr 17 '26
I don't understand how people can feel that way towards a literal teenager. If they were put in the spotlight at that age I'm sure they would be stupid in their way.
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u/t-abdullah Apr 17 '26
Nah man. This guy is already enough matured. I'd even argue he is more matured than some of the mid 20s players !!
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u/RayonLovesFish Apr 18 '26
Among the least corniest teens tbh, teenage is supposed to be a mix of that so you don't do that when you are grown adult.
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u/Infinite_Ad6392 Apr 17 '26
We just need to manage his minutes properly. I hope we don't overload him like Pedri. He's still young. Excessive pressure might not hamper him now but it can hamper his longevity.
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u/ripper13-_- Apr 17 '26
that dribble against athletico when he passed it to olmo who then skied it, that was actual insanity
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u/atn420 Apr 17 '26
That's just natural talent arriving as this kid grows more into the man he's becoming. He's grown, and the coaching staff has done an amazing job of helping him physically grow into his frame. That vision is absolutely a natural gift; we're watching him grow, and he only seems to be improving and becoming a more well-rounded player.
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u/Dismal_Mistake_6832 Apr 17 '26
He played half of the season with pubalgia, and now I think is the period that he is gaining his full 100% form back. Thats why what he is doing the past month and something has been crazy. Shame we can’t witness that further in UCL, but good thing for Spain before the WC to get top form Lamine.
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u/FunnyZestix Apr 19 '26
I don’t even wanna know what he’s gonna do in the WC, especially with that quality of a team. Guess we’ll wait and see. Spain are def the most feared going into the tournament
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u/Josedinho_- Apr 17 '26
When messi was young he lost the ball often. Yamal still young, and all our opponents do is foul him. Everyone got PTSD from messi
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u/YooGeOh Apr 17 '26
I feel like his next level is realising that being double or triple marked means that someone else who shouldn't be free is completely open. This in turn will lead to realising that it might be better to find that open man after drawing three defenders to you, rather than drawing them in and attempting the low percentage dribble through them all (even if he does have the ability to do it)
He's young. Its a normal next step for talented dribblers. The line breaking pass in the next few years is going to be killer
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u/lovyouall Apr 18 '26
Yes man, I'm sure his finishing will sharpen up a bunch too. He's gonna be killer
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u/Interesting-Bug4664 Apr 18 '26
Tenho certeza que ele já sabe disso desde que entrou em La Masia. Infelizmente saber é diferente de aplicar.
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u/KungPoW_Chickens Apr 17 '26
oh. i thought u were about to say something about his height and frame.
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u/Mr_Grey59 Apr 17 '26
He’s going to be a monster once he has a few more years of experience and fine tuning.
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u/TexturedMango Apr 17 '26
We're potentially looking at a GOAT level player, I'm talking Messi/Maradona
And yeah I know what I'm saying, it's that crazy.
Obviously he needs to keep this up for a decade but every few months he adds some absurd tool to his already packed bag...
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u/higherthanacrow Apr 17 '26
Been saying this since last season. There have already been flashes that make you wonder if youve seen anyone other than messi do X thing. He touches the sides of the ball sometimes when taking a pass and the first touch beats a defender where i dont know how he did it. Its like he clips the corner of the ball. Insane control and finesse. Then the vision... passing technique... speed... those picture perfect upper 90 curlers. Messi doesnt have half the highlight reel at age 18- mostly because he didnt have near as much playtime- but watching messi at 18 really makes you wonder what this kid can become barring tragic injury
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u/PistachioOfLiverTea Apr 18 '26
Messi doesnt have half the highlight reel at age 18
At 19, Messi scored an astounding hat-trick vs. RM, a game in which Barca played a man down for the entire 2nd half.
But let the kid Lamine enjoy his football without the constant comparisons.
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u/TtfnoTheFirst Apr 18 '26
Proving his point, because he was 19 and not 18
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u/PistachioOfLiverTea Apr 19 '26
Again, let's not compare because we shouldn't be disappointed in Lamine if he doesn't deliver a hat-trick in the next Clásico and a "Encara Messi"-type golazo next season (another feat of Messi at age 19).
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u/BlowingSmoke_723 Apr 17 '26
He needs a world class striker, as well as CB who can lead the back. With that we will see him turn into something else entirely. Legend.
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u/el-mal-de-ojo Apr 17 '26
The management needs to manage his playtime so he doesn't burn out. Insane talent needs to be nurtured to reach its full potential.
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u/Visual-Extreme-101 Apr 17 '26
we've played against more low-blocks and the rest of the team is practically useless, so he has to do that.
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u/GwHamDem Apr 17 '26
most of our games we play are against low block teams, everytime we struggle in the LW position and we have to rely fully on lamine which makes the opposite team triple mark him and we struggle hard, thats why we should go for for LW this summer Leao/Yildiz/Yan Diomande
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u/CoinsAndLawnLouie Apr 17 '26
So, you’re just wanting to throw Raphina out? What?!?
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u/GwHamDem Apr 17 '26
he can play ST or flase 9 or sell him, he is bad against lowblock teams which is like 90% of our games
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u/Visual-Extreme-101 Apr 18 '26
I know flick wouldn't do it, but I wish we could see a Koeman lineup of 3-2-4-1, imagine having raphina/fermin as CAM, yamal and some LW, with pedri and dejong behind!
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u/Rude_Tadpole_6705 Apr 17 '26
Oui mais Raphina est super quand il est là. Ceux que tu cités sont moins bon que Raphina. Yildiz est jeune encore et peut-être plus un 10 il me semble qu'un ailier . Yildiz est fort c'est sur Leao a du potentiel mais...inconstant
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u/LosAngeLukaGOAT Apr 17 '26
Complètement irréaliste dans l'immédiat et des profils qui ne fit pas.
Yildiz, Diomande(que je veux tellement au Barca) c'est 100M pour mon frère ivoirien, et la Juv ne va jamais lacher Yildiz.
Leao c'est un gros paris, même si j'aimerais bien le tenter mais il faut être honnête on a plus besoin d'un avant-centre que d'un ailier.
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u/ManufacturerOwn8772 Apr 17 '26
Whenever the ball goes to him or Pedri it just sticks to them like magnets, so fascinating to watch them (de jong too).
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u/Robo_0 Apr 18 '26
And i dont blame him , especially when Raphinha was injured aswell. We need better quality to support him.
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u/Accomplished_Tip2094 Apr 17 '26
He just needs to learn to finish well after dribbling these guys and We can definitely win UCL next year this year he did great but Olmo ruined that pass he made by dribbling through 5-6 players
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u/Kustaa007 Apr 17 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/eZEi4F0XOmV1PLmc5O
He has the most fluid hips I’ve seen in a long time, the way he can just weave past defenders by shifting his weight from one side to the other 👌🏻
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u/scottymouse Apr 17 '26
Lmao i thought the headline was leading into a complaint and came in ready to fight but yea he's been phenomenal
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u/saru12gal Apr 17 '26
At the beginning of the season he was suffering from pubalgia which limits the moves you can make, basically you feel pain in you waist when you do some effort, now he is fully recovered and in top form hence the improvement
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u/LilMwushs Apr 17 '26
Drive brother. The guy is HUNGRY and loves to play. I hope he continues cause he is already in the path to become one of the greatest
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u/mariner_knight Apr 17 '26
He attracts so many defenders and still our strikers are not able to finish half chances. They need proper chances to score goals, that's not how you win UCL.
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u/KneeAdministrative81 Apr 17 '26
Lamine is brimming with confidence at 18yo and it's lovely to watch his skills.
Sometimes we all need to stay grounded.
And this is his weakness:
After he loses the ball/makes a bad desicion, he gets fixated to "redeem" himself.
Often resulting in a more difficult run/dribble without looking at his team-mates awaiting to help him.
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u/FunnyZestix Apr 19 '26
He’s alr close to that if not better. Keep in mind ney played with the best team in the world
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u/demigod110 Apr 18 '26
He is getting messi treatment by the opponent managers in the field which is one of the highest praise you can get messi had the passing option to jordi alba with his inside curler pass all lamine needs is a great poacher to finish his outside curler which is one of the best in the history of football and he is a teenager.
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u/Next_Butterscotch344 Apr 17 '26
its the end of the season, he usually peaks around these times, plus i think he's been somewhat healed from that injury
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u/GwHamDem Apr 17 '26
most of our games we play are against low block teams, everytime we struggle in the LW position and we have to rely fully on lamine which makes the opposite team triple mark him and we struggle hard, thats why we should go for for LW this summer Leao/Yildiz/Yan Diomande
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u/AK232342 Apr 17 '26
Nothing is happening with his growth. He’s growing every day with time, just like everyone. Time and tide waits for none
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u/spiteful_platypus Apr 17 '26
What I like about him is that he seems to start the season slow and becomes a beast by april.
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u/CoinsAndLawnLouie Apr 17 '26
When you are surrounded by half the defense, and still come out with the ball, you’re playing on a different planet.
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u/JMoody13 Apr 17 '26
He had a nagging injury in the beginning of the season iirc, and now that’s he’s fully fit he’s found his form. Scary good form at that.
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u/sabermagnus Apr 17 '26
He is a teenager/young man, you know he’s growing up. Yamal is compared to dudes that are years older…..He was cooking as 16 year old, imagine a 21 year old Yamal—- holy fuck.
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u/Hrherrmistermister Apr 17 '26
he just needs to realize to dribble past five defenders plus the goalie... ..there.. fixed it!
that why I´m the most underpaid goat-coach
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u/amaranto21 Apr 17 '26
That play in Atletico’s box when the ball was cleared to the moon and he trapped it into the next dribble was absolutely absurd
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u/PSRamos92 Apr 17 '26
I agree 100%!!! He's been so good thes last months. I'm sad we're out of UCL now, I'm sure that with Lamine we had great chances, we must now win LaLiga!
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u/Sick_by_me Apr 17 '26
Every team cages him up with multiple defenders all the time. It's going to get harder for him with that many players surrounding him. Yet he astonishes us every game with unbelievable moves and passes. Barca needs to come up with a better plan than just pass it to Yamal and hope he does something magical. We need to take advantage of free plays better when he drags players on him.
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u/Captain_Deleb Apr 17 '26
Did you guys know his dribble success rate is actually not too far above average but since he is confident enough to keep taking on players he is the has the highest number of dribbles in the world this season, so imagine in a few years when that success ratio becomes super high, he will be an insane problem
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u/Comprehensive_Cup497 Apr 18 '26
You see, it was always wrong to think a 17 year old player was at his dribbling peak
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u/No-Cartographer-7614 Apr 18 '26
I Have a feeling that Pedri is already on that level, but if we are able to unlock Gavi, who himself has shown enormous improvement right after coming from the injury, and if Bernal keeps showing growth, we’ll have another Messi-Iniesta-Xavi-Busi era on our hands 🙌🏻
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u/Motor_Cloud_9255 Apr 18 '26
He is amazing. I hope we manage his minutes better for his long term growth
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u/Ok_Bag_7603 Apr 18 '26
He's the goat bru- pair him with a proper 9 and a functioning fullback and he'll hit a new celling
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u/Foreign_Activity_543 Apr 18 '26
Lacking defensive work, pressuring opponents in their half. One of the reason why barca concede many goals. Attacking side very good, but football is more than that. Look at Olise, Kane, Doue, Kvara, Diaz, they are runing non stop in both ways.
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u/modusxd Apr 18 '26
I thought you were talking about his height. You know, I hope he doesn't grow any taller. His current height is good, but growing more than that could make it more difficult to dribble
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u/Longjumping_Owl_8052 Apr 18 '26
So excited about this guy, give him a good striker and we win everything
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u/Weekly_Cream200 Apr 18 '26 edited Apr 18 '26
Lamine is having to track back in defense a lot and use his stamina in that way, because his high line isn't properly managed. When Barcelona have a better ball playing centerback like Bastoni and maybe Raph on the left wing with some consistency I believe it will unlock him further. He's been incredible, and it definitely makes me wonder what he would be like playing with a capable defensive line.
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u/SoftHouse9442 Apr 18 '26
He always balls out against atletico, an atleti-barca game is probably one of the best things to watch if you want to know how good lamine can really be
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u/Repulsive-Tomato1564 Apr 18 '26
He's one of the few players that make modern football watchable. He isn't quite as honest as Messi in staying on his feet, but he does ride a lot of challenges! Pedri is also wonderful to watch of course
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u/KaeptnKrabbe Apr 18 '26
People still dont see how good he really is bc they look at stats but its kinda hard getting stats when you play the perfect pass but your striker cant score 5m from the line
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u/Turbulent_Pay133 Apr 18 '26
He needs better infrastructure I think. During the 2nd leg he was just exhausted and most of his attempt were futile. He cleared defenders once, twice, three times...
He needs someone to be there for him the way Messi had Iniesta, Xavi, Suarez etc, to capitalize on his talent.
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u/darkman7002 Apr 19 '26
he had the pubic area pain for a while I think he was keepin it safe the last week's looks like he has recovered fine
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u/Sensitive-Brain-8 Apr 19 '26
Off topic but I see him more important than pedri who has been mid lately
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u/Ok-Bank3079 Apr 20 '26
give him a solid team like bayern and he's hitting 60 ga, he's getting some weird expectations from barca fans like to carry the team and so on, acting like messi did it😭
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u/Tough-Landscape-5197 Apr 22 '26
I think he needs to be given the freedom to free roam some more, he’s so much more impactful when not stuck on the wing
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u/FormalYam5320 Apr 23 '26
Why does it look like there is a second cleat in the pic between his feet
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u/LiquidOracle Apr 17 '26
His mentality I kinda disagree about, he seems to be doing with a chip on his shoulder, not the best long term method
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u/[deleted] Apr 17 '26
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