Barcelona’s rising star, Lamine Yamal, is capturing the football world’s attention with his stunning dribbling abilities this season. At just 17 years old, he’s on track to end the 2024-25 season with the highest number of successful dribbles across Europe’s top five leagues. It’s genuinely remarkable to see a player of his age perform on such a level—waiting for what might be a legendary career to unfold right before our eyes.
This season, Yamal has achieved a staggering 138 successful dribbles in La Liga, comfortably outpacing his competitors. Not just within Spain, he’s leading the stats in major leagues like the Premier League, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, and Serie A. This achievement is all the more impressive when we look at how it stacks up against the legends of the game like Lionel Messi and Neymar, who have defined greatness in football.
Lamine Yamal’s 2024-25 Dribbling Stats
Yamal has been a consistent presence on the pitch for Barcelona, boasting an impressive 138 successful dribbles from 31 matches. This averages out to him completing a successful dribble roughly every 18 minutes. For those keeping tabs, he’s ahead of Manchester City’s Jeremy Doku, who is the only other player across Europe’s major leagues to have crossed the 100 mark this season, sitting at 102. However, Doku’s effectiveness in dribbling operates at a higher frequency—one successful dribble every 13 minutes, partly due to him playing fewer minutes overall.
Yamal’s enthusiasm and ambition, however, don’t come without flaws. He has attempted a whopping 275 dribbles, significantly higher than any other player in the top European leagues, yet this also means he has faced his fair share of unsuccessful dribbles—137, to be exact. Comparatively, his dribble success rate hovers just a bit over 50%. While that’s commendable, it’s essential to understand that dribbling through defenders, even for the best, can be a tough task. For instance, Doku’s success rate stands at 55%, while other notable players like West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus and Vinicius Junior have rates of 44% and 43%, respectively.
With four matches still left in Barcelona’s La Liga campaign, if Yamal continues at this rate, hitting 150 successful dribbles is not just an aspiration, but a likely reality. For context, last season’s leader, Kudus, managed just 124 dribbles, while Messi’s highest in recent memory, during his last Barcelona season, was 159.
Lionel Messi’s Peak Dribbling Stats
Speaking of Messi, his dribbling prowess is almost mythical. The 2010-11 season stands as Messi’s most impressive dribbling year, where he completed 186 successful dribbles, an achievement that helped secure the La Liga title for Barcelona along with a Champions League trophy. In that same campaign, he notched another 79 successful dribbles in just 13 Champions League appearances, maintaining a remarkable 65% success rate.
Comparing Yamal’s stats to Messi’s might seem daunting, but it’s essential to remember that Yamal is still carving out his early career. At 17, he has already accumulated a respectable 42 successful dribbles in the Champions League this season on top of his La Liga achievements. Messi wasn’t hitting peak numbers until he turned 23, so Yamal is already ahead of the curve for his age.
If Yamal manages to cross that 150 successful dribble mark in La Liga, it would resemble a solid average of Messi’s peak seasons. It’s a testament to Yamal’s potential—one that can undoubtedly develop further with experience and mentorship.
Neymar’s Peak Dribbling Stats
Yamal has also spoken lovingly of Neymar, crediting the Brazilian as a pivotal influence on his style of play. Reflecting on watching Neymar live when he was just a child, Yamal recalled feeling captivated by his skill: “Neymar has always been my idol. He’s a star, a football legend.” That fearless attitude is evident whenever Yamal takes hold of the ball. You can see that intrinsic drive to challenge defenders head-on, reminiscent of Neymar’s fearless runs.
While Neymar may not have had the same longevity in dribbling stats as Messi, he was no slouch when fit. In his debut season at PSG in 2017-18, he completed an impressive 142 successful dribbles in only 20 league appearances, marking a successful dribble every 12 minutes with a stellar 66% success rate. Considering his overall impact, Neymar holds two of the ten most productive dribbling seasons, alongside Messi and Eden Hazard.
Although Yamal is inching closer to matching those impressive numbers, Neymar’s 168 successful dribbles from 30 La Liga appearances in 2016-17 may take more time to reach—but hey, if anyone’s got the talent and potential, it’s undoubtedly Yamal.
In summary, Lamine Yamal is a thrilling talent marking his place in football history. While comparisons to Messi and Neymar can feel daunting, Yamal is on an upward trajectory, harnessing his skills and embracing the challenges ahead. If he keeps at it, we might just be witnessing the emergence of the next great dribbler in football. It’s all about how he channels that potential and grows into a true game-changing player.
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