Lamine Yamal has become the fastest Barcelona player to reach 50 goals.
The Spanish World Cup winner netted his 50th to put his side 2-1 ahead against Rayo Vallecano.
Barca’s build up on the edge of the box looked congested but then one touch from Lamine freed up space before he unleashed an unstoppable near-post strike.
He then celebrated wildly after a week of questions over his mood and form.
Lamine breaks Messi youth record
There are no doubts about his talent, though, with him beating Lionel Messi’s club record as the fastest player to reach 50 goals in all competitions.
He has done so at the age of just 19, while Messi didn’t until he was 21.
Meanwhile, Neymar didn’t until he was 23, Rivaldo 24 and Ronaldo 26.
Lamine had already taken Bojan’s record as the youngest player to reach 50 Barcelona appearances.
His record comes just a few days after coach Hansi Flick admitted he was aware of the concerns about Lamine’s form and mood.
Flick admits form concerns
“It’s always good when players smile, but sometimes it’s not always possible. Everyone [outside of the club] is worried about Lamine,” he said.
“Lamine played in the World Cup, only had three weeks of vacation, and then returned to work.
“The match against Elche wasn’t his best, but he worked for the team, and I was very happy with him. He gives us opportunities, and that’s excellent.”
On the Athletic match, he added: “We saw him in top-level situations. I saw him in training today and he looked excellent.”
Flick had also backed him up after his Elche sulk.
He commented: “He had a minor problem, he had a headache.
“Lamine is a genius, that’s normal. He’s had three weeks of vacation and has only trained for a few days.
“We need to find a solution so he can reach his best level, but I really value his 60 minutes.
“We’ll see how he develops, but we need him because he’s exceptional.”
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