Lamine Yamal Shines in Barcelona's 5-0 Victory Over Valencia

Lamine Yamal is back – and he’s brought the goals with him.

The 19-year-old lit up Mestalla on Sunday night, scoring twice in FC Barcelona’s ruthless 5-0 demolition of Valencia, his first goals of the new La Liga campaign and a sharp reminder of why he is already one of the league’s headline acts.

He needed just six minutes to get on the board. Bursting onto a pass, Yamal kept his stride, swung his right leg up to waist height and, with the tip of his toes, flicked the ball past the keeper and into the net. It wasn’t a thumping finish. It was a touch of pure finesse, the kind of improvised technique that separates talent from superstardom.

The celebration told its own story. Yamal put his thumb to his mouth, a tribute to his toddler brother, Keyne, who was reportedly celebrating his fourth birthday on the day of the match. Keyne, alongside their mother, watched from the stands as the teenager turned a league game into a family occasion.

Barcelona didn’t ease off. The early breakthrough opened the floodgates, and Valencia never recovered. Fermín López got in on the act, Raphinha added another, and Rodri – Yamal’s Spain teammate and freshly crowned Golden Ball winner – joined the scoresheet to stretch Barça’s advantage. Every attack seemed to carry danger, every move a reminder of a side playing with the swagger of champions.

Then came the final flourish.

In the 84th minute, with Valencia already beaten, Yamal struck again. Dani Olmo slipped him the ball, and the winger shaped his body, took aim with his left foot and whipped a shot across himself and into the net. It was the last goal of the night and the perfect bookend: Yamal at the start, Yamal at the finish, his fingerprints all over a statement victory.

The result keeps Barcelona perfect at 4-0 and sitting on top of the La Liga table, the defending champions already setting a fierce pace in their title defence.

For Yamal, the performance carried an extra layer of meaning. He has already smashed records for both club and league, but his rapid rise stalled at the end of last season when a hamstring injury cut his campaign short. Barcelona still went on to lift the La Liga trophy in May. Now, fully back in action and back among the goals, the question isn’t whether he’s returned.

It’s how far he can push this Barcelona side as they chase another title.