Lamine Yamal’s spectacular winner for Barcelona against Athletic Club on Saturday was not only the most aesthetically pleasing strike of his senior career, it was also his 50th.
It would be easy to forget that Barcelona’s No. 10 is still only 18 if it wasn’t relentlessly repeated every time he reached a new landmark, which comes around almost every game.
Jinking onto his left foot with the contest still goalless and Athletic unfortunate to not be in front, Yamal pulled off a finish which has been his signature since childhood (which was only last season, in fairness).
The ball curled so far past Unai Simon he didn’t even bother diving, pulling his hands away as he contorted his body to watch the spinning orb clank off the top of the upright and into his net.
Yamal wheeled away to deliver his signature celebration, signing the number 304 with his hands as a nod to the postcode of his local neighborhood, Rocafonda. It was a different digit which stood out in the aftermath: goal number 50.
