Lamine Yamal on the cusp of demolishing Champions League record once held by Cesc Fabregas | OneFootball

Barcelona star Lamine Yamal is on the cusp of smashing a Champions League record once held by Arsenal legend Cesc Fabregas and currently held by PSG wonderkid Warren Zaire-Emery.

Real Madrid icons like Jude Bellingham, Iker Casillas and Kylian Mbappe all enjoyed meteoric starts to their elite careers, but even they had not accumulated as many Champions League outings as Lamine Yamal at the same age.

If Yamal features in Barcelona’s Round of 16 clash with Newcastle United as expected, he’ll become the first player in history to reach 30 appearances in Europe’s most prestigious club competition before turning 19.

Zaire-Emery is the only footballer to have managed the feat before turning 20, and Yamal is almost a full year younger than the PSG midfielder was when he made his 30th outing in the Champions League.

“We talk to him, we do it normally. I think we’re very honest, me with him and him with me,” Barcelona manager Hansi Flick told reporters earlier this season, responding to a question on how to manage him and not burden him with too many minutes too early in his career.

“I will always protect and support him. He’s a great footballer, a great person, and he’s also very young. We’re going to continue on this path.”

The teenager recently revealed that he has only recently felt himself getting back to a level where he feels happy and comfortable.

“I didn’t feel great [earlier this season],” Yamal told Movistar.

“There was the [groin] problem and, generally, I wasn’t happy. It was a mix of many things. You could tell. I have felt a lot better for a week or so now. I am smiling when I am playing, which wasn’t the case for a while, and I am happy on the pitch.

“I’m scoring more goals all the time. At 16, people already want you to score 100 goals already and it’s difficult. I want to score more as well, but it’s not always possible.”

Here are the current top 10 youngest players to reach 30 Champions League appearances:

1. Warren Zaire-Emery — 19 years 227 days 2. Cesc Fabregas — 20 years 207 days 3. Roque Santa Cruz — 20 years 215 days 4. Jude Bellingham — 20 years 285 days 5. Iker Casillas — 20 years 296 days 6. Kylian Mbappe — 20 years 356 days 7. Jamal Musiala — 21 years 8 days 8. João Neves — 21 years 74 days 9. Eduardo Camavinga — 21 years 95 days 10. Jamie Gittens — 21 years 173 days