Lamine Yamal’s remarkable run has one blemish – Real Madrid game

Lamine Yamal is becoming more mature and decisive with every passing day, but Real Madrid remain the only side to have stopped the Barcelona forward from contributing to a goal in his past 13 appearances.

Yamal made his first-team debut for Barcelona at just 15 years and nine months. Now 19, he remains exceptionally young but has already become accustomed to carrying responsibility for the Catalan club and taking centre stage, according to Catalan newspaper Sport.

His influence extends beyond scoring goals. Yamal’s assists are equally significant, and the combined total of goals and assists provides a striking measure of his impact.

In 12 of his last 13 matches for Barcelona, he has either scored, created a goal or done both. That sequence ended in the Clasico at Spotify Camp Nou on 25 October, when Marc Cucurella proved a difficult opponent and Yamal was unable to maintain his remarkable run.

He responded after the match by continuing to make decisive contributions, and will hope to do so again when Barcelona visit Atletico Madrid in La Liga on Sunday.

Commitment and attacking influence

Yamal’s influence is not limited to match days. His commitment also includes attending optional training sessions, as he did last Thursday, while his defensive development has also been significant.

His greatest distinction, however, remains his attacking output. This season, he has scored 13 goals and provided 11 assists in 15 matches – 24 goal contributions in total.

The Spain forward has already scored twice against Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano. His first goal came in La Liga during the 2024-2025 season, when he helped confirm Barcelona’s comeback before Ferran Torres completed a 4-2 victory for the Catalan side.

Yamal’s second goal against Atletico came last season in the Champions League. His low left-footed finish gave Barcelona hope, although the club were eventually eliminated from the competition by Atletico Madrid.

The Madrid side therefore represent the one clear interruption in an otherwise extraordinary run of attacking contributions. Yamal will have the chance to extend that record against them when the two teams meet again on Sunday.