Before the start of the season expectations from Real Madrid and Kylian Mbappe were pretty high. And while it has only been 2 weeks since the 2024-25 season kicked it’s clear that something is not clicking for Kylian Mbappe in Madrid. On the other hand, Barcelona’s shining light, and heir to Messi’s throne has picked up from where he left off at the end of last season’s Euros 2024. Lamine Yamal has been exceptional in Barcelona’s first three matches of the season often being the difference maker for the Azulgrana.
After going down against Valencia at the Mestalla, Lamine Yamal was the one who provided the crucial on-touch assist across the face of the goal to Lewandowski who put it in the back of the net to pull Barca level. In Barcelona’s 2nd league game, and first game at home against Athletic Bilbao, the 17-year-old scored the first goal of the evening from 30 yards out in the top left corner in a trademark finish.
Then Yamal followed up his Man Of The Match performance with another scintillating display of skill and flair against Rayo Vallecano in Madrid last night. Blaugrana’s new number 19 set up Dani Olmo’s game-winner which marked Barcelona’s first win at the Estadio de Vallecas since 2018.
3 MOTM-worthy performances in 3 games for someone who cannot legally drive is absolutely mind-boggling. In his last 10 starts from Club and Country, Lamine Yamal has scored twice, one against Athletic Bilbao and the other being “THAT” goal against France, and has assisted another 8 times. These stats are absolutely absurd considering that the opposition he has been playing includes the likes of France, Athletic Club, Valencia, England, etc.
Whereas in the Spanish Capital, is Kylian Mbappe Los Blancos’ new megastar, who hasn’t created a chance in all-whites in his first three games while Yamal created 4 big chances in the match against Rayo Vallecano alone. The solitary goal against Atalanta in the Super Cup has been all he has contributed this season. On top of that, the French striker didn’t even have a good Euros campaign.
Since the start of the Euros, Kylian Mbappe has not been able to hit his best form recording only 2 goals(1 pen) and an assist. These numbers do not suit someone who is considered by many the greatest player in the world currently.
Here’s Why Lamine Yamal will outperform Kylian Mbappe in 2024-25
The most important factor when answering this question is understanding the roles either player plays for their team. Kylian Mbappe has been deployed by Carlo Ancelotti as the striker in Real Madrid’s dynamic front three which includes Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo on either flank. Such is their presence along with Kylian Mbappe, that most teams try to counter their continuous pressure by setting up low-blocks with 5 people in the defensive line and playing on the counter.
This means that there is not much space to exploit among the defensive line, an area where Kylian Mbappe thrives. Barcelona also face similar issues in the league as most teams defend very deep in order to minimize Barca’s chances to score. But in the Catalonian Club’s case, Lamine Yamal acts as one of the liberators provides incise passes and assists and has the ability to bypass whole defences with outside-the-box curlers.
This means that apart from just being a goal threat, Lamine Yamal is also a chance-creating monster. While Mbappe is a master at running into space, unfortunately for the 25-year-old, La Liga’s defences deny him the freedom to tear them apart.
Furthermore, Real Madrid’s game is not based on bringing out the best in Kylian Mbappe as much as it is centred on Vinicius Jr. While in Barcelona, the Hansi Flick project more or less is expected and is being built around Lamine Yamal.
