Barcelona’s victory over Real Betis saw 15-year-old winger Lamine Yamal make history as the club’s youngest-ever player.
Despite only turning 16 in July, Yamal was brought on in the 84th minute to replace Gavi, helping his team secure a comfortable 4-0 win and move 11 points clear at the top of La Liga.
Yamal’s appearance makes him the fifth-youngest player to appear in the competition, behind Luka Romero, who made his debut for Mallorca against Real Madrid in 2020 at the age of 15 years and 219 days.
Barca boss Xavi Hernandez praised Yamal’s “fearless” attitude, and he had already been included in the squad for the first time in the previous match against Atletico Madrid.
Goals from Andreas Christensen, Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, and Guido RodrÃguez own goal sealed the result for Barcelona.
Christensen headed home his first goal for the club from Raphinha’s inswinging cross, Lewandowski scored from a Jules Kounde cross, and Raphinha added a third following a VAR review.
Finally, Betis defender RodrÃguez turned Ansu Fati’s cross into his own net to wrap up the scoring.
Betis’s Joaquin, age 41, also featured in the match, having made 215 La Liga appearances by the time Yamal was born.
The victory leaves Barcelona in a commanding position at the top of the league table, as their dreams of another title clash with reality.