Yamal's rise helps Barcelona move beyond the post-Messi era

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Yamal's rise helps Barcelona move beyond the post-Messi era

2025-05-16 18:30 Last Updated At：23:31

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — When Lionel Messi left Barcelona it looked like a generation would have to go by before another player of his incredible talent would don the burgundy and blue.

It turned out a couple of years was enough.

Lamine Yamal cemented his status as the Next Big Thing in global soccer by excelling in a season that saw Barcelona finish with treble of domestic titles.

Fittingly enough, the 17-year-old scored the decisive goal to clinch the Spanish league crown on Thursday.

Defenders know what is coming when Yamal dips his head and starts his dribble from the right side across the edge of the area. They know he is seeking the sliver of space to get his fantastic left-foot curler off. But Espanyol’s players – like so many others this season — could do nothing to stop him from whipping the ball into the top corner of the net to spark the 2-0 victory.

“We have a kid who can pull gold out of his boots,” Raphinha said about Yamal.

While he has dismissed comparisons to Messi, or any other player for that matter, it is impossible not to see flashes of the Argentine’s majestic moves in his young feet, especially after the soccer planets aligned to put them together in a photo when Yamal was just a baby.

They both terrorize defenses from the right flank of Barcelona’s attack, cutting inside to put the ball on their prized left boot.

But Yamal has his own talents. His gliding moves are his own, as is his lithe, elastic body. And while Messi was perhaps a better finisher at this age, Yamal is just as good a dribbler and perhaps even a better passer.

His ability to jink past double teams and score beautiful goals make the highlights, as do those exquisite crosses he makes with the outside edge of his boot to drop balls into the box.

To say that Yamal has a way to go to match Messi is the understatement of the season.

Messi won his first Spanish league and Champions League titles when he was 18 years old. He hit his first hat trick, against Real Madrid nonetheless, at age 19. He went on to score a club record 672 goals in 778 appearances, winning four European Cups, 10 league titles and eight Copa del Rey crowns en route to being awarded the Ballon d’Or six times while with Barcelona. He then took Argentina to the World Cup title.

But at this stage, Yamal sure looks destined to become a great, great player in his own right.

Yamal has set pretty much every record for youngest whatever for Barcelona and Spain, from youngest scorer in La Liga history to youngest scorer in a European Championship, among many more. His debut at age 15, becoming the youngest Barcelona player in La Liga, in April 2023 promises to be remembered as a milestone for the Catalan club.

He already has two league titles, a Copa del Rey and a Spanish Super Cup, and the European title for Spain, before he turns 18 in July.

Statistics back up his game-by-game impact. Yamal leads the league in assists with 13 this season, while he also has by far the most dribbles to get past opponents with 149, over 60 more than any other player. He also shows a swagger and ability to be a vocal leader for his team that the quiet teenage Messi took years to develop.

Yamal’s continued his rapid rise during the first season under Hansi Flick. The forward said the German coach gave Barcelona “new life” after winning nothing in the previous campaign, and that more was to come.

“This is very important for the club to win these titles, we feel like we are winners,” Yamal said. “Now I think the mentality of the club is going to change."

Barcelona's future looks even brighter when considering that Yamal is surrounded by young standouts.

Pedri is an elite midfield player who at 22 years old has already put in 200 appearances for his club. Centerback mainstay Pau Cubarsí is just 18. Gavi Páez is 20, Alejandro Balde 21, and Fermín López 22.

So Real Madrid and the rest of European soccer beware. Barcelona has the potential to establish a dynasty known as the Yamal Era.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

The Golden Globes are tonight. Here's what to look for and how to watch and stream the show

The Golden Globes bill themselves as Hollywood’s booziest bash. This year, is anyone ready to party?

Political tension and industrywide uncertainty are the prevailing moods heading into Sunday night's 83rd Golden Globes. Hollywood is coming off a disappointing box-office year and now anxiously awaits the fate of one of its most storied studios, Warner Bros.

A celebratory mood might be even more elusive given that the wide majority of the performers and filmmakers congregating at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, oppose the policies of President Donald Trump. Likely to be on the minds of many attendees: the recent U.S. involvement in Venezuela and the fatal shooting of 37-year-old mother Renee Good in Minneapolis by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

But through their ups and downs, the Globes have always tried to put pomp over politics. Host Nikki Glaser has vowed as much.

“You’d be surprised that half the room had no clue why I was saying ‘Venezuela,’” Glaser told The Associated Press earlier in the week, referring to her comedy-club warm-ups. “People aren’t getting the news like we all are.”

Glaser, a comic known for her roast appearances, has promised to go after A-listers in her second time hosting.

“We’re going to hit Leo,” Glaser said. “The icebergs are coming.”

Here’s what to look for at this year’s Globes:

The Golden Globes kick off at 8 p.m. EST on CBS while streaming live for Paramount+ premium subscribers. E!’s red carpet coverage begins at 6 p.m. EST.

The Associated Press will be have a livestream show beginning at 4:30 p.m. Eastern with a mix of stars' arrivals, fashion shots and celebrity interviews. It will be available on YouTube and APNews.

The overwhelming Oscar favorite “One Battle After Another” comes in with a leading nine nominations. It’s competing in the Globes’ musical or comedy category, which means the drama side might be more competitive. There, Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners,” Chloé Zhao’s “Hamnet” and Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value” are all in the mix.

But thus far, “One Battle After Another” has cleaned up just about everywhere. Much of Paul Thomas Anderson’s cast is nominated, including DiCaprio, Teyana Taylor, Sean Penn, Chase Infiniti and Benicio Del Toro.

If it and “Sinners” take home the two biggest prizes, it will be a banner night for Warner Bros. even as its future hangs in the balance. The studio has agreed to be acquired by Netflix is a deal worth $82.7 billion. Movie theaters have warned such a result would be “a direct and irreversible negative impact on movie theaters around the world.”

The merger awaits regulatory approval, while Paramount Skydance is still trying to convince Warner shareholders to accept its rival offer.

After an audacious promotional tour for “Marty Supreme,” Timothée Chalamet is poised to win his first Globe in five nominations. In best actor, comedy or musical, he’ll have to beat DiCaprio, a three-time Globe winner, and Ethan Hawke (“Blue Moon”).

In best actress, comedy or musical, Rose Byrne is the favorite for her performance in the not especially funny A24 indie “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.” One prominent nominee in the category, Cynthia Erivo (“Wicked: For Good”), won’t be attending due to her schedule in the West End production “Dracula.”

Jessie Buckley (“Hamnet”) is the clear front-runner in best actress, drama. In the star-studded best actor, drama, category, the Brazilian actor Wagner Moura (“The Secret Agent”) may win over Michael B. Jordan (“Sinners”) and Joel Edgerton (“Train Dreams”).

In the supporting categories, Teyana Taylor and Stellan Skarsgård come in the favorites.

The Globes, formerly presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, have no overlap or direct correlation with the Academy Awards. After being sold in 2023 to Todd Boehly’s Eldridge Industries and Dick Clark Productions, a part of Penske Media, the Globes are voted on by around 400 people. The Oscars are voted on by more than 10,500 professionals.

But in the fluctuating undulations of awards season, a good speech at the Globes can really boost an Oscar campaign. Last year, that seemed to be the case for Demi Moore, who won for “The Substance” and gave the night's most emotional speech. Mikey Madison (“Anora”), however, scored the upset win at the Oscars.

A few potentially good moments this year went instead in a Golden Eve ceremony earlier this week. There, the Cecil B. DeMille and Carol Burnett honorees, Helen Mirren and Sarah Jessica Parker, accepted their awards.

One to watch, if he wins, will be the Iranian director Jafar Panahi. His revenge drama “It Was Just an Accident” is up for four awards. Panahi has spent most of his career making films clandestinely, without approval of authorities, and was until recently banned from leaving the country. Last month, he was sentenced to a year in prison, which would be only his latest stint behind bars if Panahi returns home to serve it. This week, protests over Iran’s ailing economy have spread throughout the country in a new test to Iran's leaders.

For the first time, the Globes are trotting out a new podcast category. The nominees are: “Armchair Expert,” “Call Her Daddy,” “Good Hang With Amy Poehler,” “The Mel Robbins Podcast,” “SmartLess” and “Up First.”

In TV, HBO Max’s “The White Lotus” — another potential big winner for Warner Bros. — leads with six nominations. Netflix’s “Adolescence” comes in with five nods.

But the most closely watched nominee might be “The Studio.” The first season of Seth Rogen’s Hollywood satire memorably included an episode devoted to drama around a night at the Globes. (Sample line: “I remember when the red carpet of the Golden Globes actually stood for something.”) “The Studio” is up for three awards, giving three chances for life to imitate art.

For more coverage of this year’s Golden Globe Awards, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/golden-globe-awards