How long it took Lamine Yamal to reach 40 career goals compared to Lionel Messi | OneFootball

Lamine Yamal recently scored his 40th career goal, but how long did it take him to reach that landmark compared to Lionel Messi? We’ve compared the numbers.

It’s safe to say that the Spanish teenager currently ranks among the best players in world football, having finished second in the Ballon d’Or rankings earlier in the year.

His meteoric rise has continued this season where he’s continued to be a consistent performer for Hansi Flick’s side on the right wing.

Yamal was on target during Barcelona’s latest triumph against Villarreal, which marked his 40th goal as a professional.

For club and country, Yamal has now made 149 appearances, scored 40 goals and has provided 57 assists.

Interestingly, Messi reached 40 goals in considerably fewer matches than Yamal, although he was older when he hit the milestone.

Messi’s 40th professional goal came back in October 2007, during Barcelona’s 3-0 triumph over Atletico Madrid.

At the time Messi was 20 years old, two years older than Yamal currently is, but it was only his 100th professional appearance.

In his first 100 matches, Messi had scored 40 goals and provided 13 assists, but his integration into the Barcelona XI was much more gradual than Yamal’s has been.

Indeed, when Messi was 18, he was still on the periphery of the starting XI and wasn’t a gaurenteed starter like Yamal currently is.

For context, by the time Messi had made 148 appearances (which is how many Yamal has made), he’d scored 55 goals and provided 31 assists.

Ultimately, both players boast very impressive records and managed to reach 40 goals quicker than the vast majority of professionals.

However, solely judging them on minutes played and appearances, it’s still Messi who has the edge.

While the comparisons between both players are only natural, Yamal is keen to forge his own path at Barcelona and not walk in Messi’s shadow.

“I respect him for what he has been and what he is for football. To me, he’s the best in history,” Yamal said when discussing Messi.

“But neither do I want to be Messi, nor does Messi want me to be him.

“My football is about fun. I play so people can enjoy watching. It’s not about a million records or a million goals.”

Here’s the full breakdown of how long it took both players to reach 40 goals, with stats included from games at club and international level.

Lamine Yamal

Penalties: 6

Age at time of scoring 40th goal: 18

Lionel Messi

Penalties: 2