Lamine Yamal is already the world’s best player at 18 but can he inspire Barcelona to a Champions League remontada?

Barcelona rotated their forward line with the Champions League in mind but Lamine Yamal still started against Espanyol. The teenager then decided the derby with a scintillating display of football. Let us be blunt about what we are seeing. This is a genius.

The first goal came when Ferran Torres headed in his corner, one won with help from an audacious - but typical - Lamine Yamal backheel. The second, scored by the same player, came from an outside-of-the-boot through-ball. Neither man had to break stride.

He scored the third himself, beating the goalkeeper to the ball and celebrating even before completing the formalities. The fourth and final Barcelona goal was scored by Marcus Rashford after yet another arrowed ball behind the defence by you know who.

It was a performance to leave you as giddy as his markers. You wanted to rush to tell strangers what you had just witnessed. Luckily, there were over 60,000 others at Camp Nou to verify it. A half-constructed stadium but a fully-formed superstar. He is 18.

This was game number 100 in LaLiga for Lamine Yamal. In it, he became the first player in the competition this season to reach double figures for goals and assists. For context, Lionel Messi was already 20 years old when he first did that. Cristiano Ronaldo was 26.

To be this good this soon is something else entirely. Robert Lewandowski knew it after the first training session aged 15. The rest of the world were convinced when he propelled Spain to glory at Euro 2024, the final victory coming one day after his 17th birthday.

Stats cannot tell the story of why Lamine Yamal is so special but some are irresistible. Since making his Champions League debut aged 16, he has completed 116 dribbles in the competition - far more than any other footballer. He is top for through-balls too.