Lamine Yamal breaks Raul record with historic Spain double against Croatia

Lamine Yamal set a series of records as Spain beat Croatia 4-1 in the UEFA Nations League on Tuesday.

The 19-year-old Barcelona forward scored twice and provided an assist at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan to help Spain secure a convincing victory in their second match in Group C of League A.

Yamal had previously scored or assisted in international matches, but this was the first time in his career that he had achieved both in the same game for Spain, according to Stats Foot.

The performance also saw him become the youngest player in Spain’s history to score at least two goals and provide an assist in a single match for the national team.

According to figures published by MisterChip, Yamal reached the milestone at the age of 19 years and 78 days. Raul had previously held the record after doing so aged 21 years and 273 days, while Etxeberria achieved the same feat at the same age.

The latest records add to Yamal’s growing list of landmark achievements with Spain. Stats Foot reported that he is now the youngest European player to score 10 goals for his senior national team since Denmark’s Harald Nielsen reached the mark on 26 August 1960, aged 18 years and 10 months.

Yamal’s form has also been strong for both club and country. He has been directly involved in 18 goals across his past eight appearances for Barcelona and Spain, scoring 11 and recording seven assists.

His contribution against Croatia also moved him to the top of the UEFA Nations League’s goal involvement rankings. WhoScored’s statistics show that Yamal has been directly involved in four goals in the competition so far, more than any other player.

Spain’s emphatic result came in their second Group C fixture in the first path of the tournament, with Yamal’s two goals and assist making him the central figure in the win.

At 19, he has now combined a record-breaking international performance with numbers that place him among the most productive players in the competition.