Lamine Yamal became the youngest-ever player to feature for Barcelona's first team when he entered the field as a late substitute in Saturday's 4-0 win over Real Betis.
The attacker had been an unused substitute for the recent La Liga matches against Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano before being introduced in the latter stages of Saturday's clash with Betis.
Yamal became Barcelona's youngest-ever player in the process at 15 years and 290 days.
The left-footed forward has been with the Catalan giants since the age of five, progressing through the various youth systems at the club, and he has now broken the record that had been held by Armand Martinez Sagi since April 1922.
Yamal started training with Barcelona at the end of last year and will now be hoping to continue his involvement for the first team in the final stages of the 2022-23 La Liga campaign.
© Reuters
Andreas Christensen, Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha sent Barcelona into a 3-0 half-time lead against Real Betis, before an own goal from Guido Rodriguez made it four in the 82nd minute.
Xavi's side are again 11 points clear of second-placed Real Madrid at the top of the table, with the team closing in on the title despite a recent wobble.
Barcelona head coach Xavi was full of praise for Yamal after the contest, insisting that he is "ready to play in the first team" despite not turning 16 until the middle of July.
"I told him to go out and try things, and he did," the team's manager said after the match. "He is special. He could have scored, and made an assist.
© Reuters
"He is very self confident, he has shown what he can do. He has no fear and he is very talented. He plays beyond his 15 years and he is ready to play in the first team."
Xavi also compared the teenager to Lionel Messi, claiming that the youngster "can mark an era" at the club.
"Lamine Yamal is a similar player to Messi. He can mark an era at Barcelona," the 43-year-old added.
Yamal is yet to sign a professional contract at Camp Nou, but according to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, talks are progressing, with Barcelona confident that an agreement will be reached.
The clash with Real Betis also marked injury returns for Christensen and Dembele, with the former playing 59 minutes of the contest, while the latter entered the field as a late substitute.
Barcelona will be bidding to make it successive victories in Spain's top flight when they welcome Copa del Rey finalists Osasuna to Camp Nou on Tuesday night.
Matt Law
