16-year-old soccer phenom, Lamine Yamal, has just signed a highly lucrative contract with FC Barcelona. The groundbreaking agreement features an astonishing $1.05 billion buyout clause for the teenage forward. Yamal is now officially a part of FC Barcelona’s roster, with his contract extending at least until the summer of 2026.
“For me, it’s like a dream to spend three more years at the club of my life,” Yamal, said in a video on FC Barcelona’s official X, (formerly Twitter), page. He continued saying, “I’m very happy and I hope that the best can happen with Barça.”
FC Barcelona’s newest forward joined Barcelona’s La Masia academy at the age of seven years old. With hard work and dedication focused on perfecting his skill, according to CNN.com, Yamal became Barça’s youngest player to appear in the Champions League and the second-youngest player in the history of the competition after Borussia Dortmund’s Youssoufa Moukoko.
Yamal isn’t the only talented teenage athlete taking over the world of soccer making history. If you remember, 13-year-old soccer phenom, Da’vian Kimbrough also made history a few months ago when he became the youngest professional soccer player stateside by signing a contract to play with the United Soccer League’s Sacramento Republic FC.
However, Kimbrough’s history-making moments didn’t stop there. The talented athlete also secured the title of North America’s youngest professional athlete across major sports leagues, including the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, and WNBA.
Todd Dunivant, president and general manager of Sacramento Republic FC said in a statement Kimbrough “… is a remarkable talent who has committed to his dream of becoming an elite player, from competing with players in older age groups, thriving at top competitions, to stepping on to the first team training grounds.”
He continued concluding, “We are honored that the Kimbrough family and Da’vian have chosen Republic FC to support his professional pathway, and we look forward to taking the next steps together.”
Congratulations to both Lamine Yamal and Da’vian Kimbrough. With historic making moments on and off the pitch, we truly cannot wait to see what the future holds for both of these amazing young players!
Photo Credit(s)/Featured Image: Lamine Yamal Instagram; Sacramento Republic FC Instagram
