The most valuable jewel of Barcelona bears a name, a surname, and a contract up until 2031. The 17-year-old Lamine Yamal is now the highest-paid player of the Blaugrana squad, even above the likes of Lewandowski. The transfer was confirmed by the team and not only speaks to the technical value of the young attacker but also to the meteoric ascension to the top of the Catalan changing room pecking order.
The new agreement
Yamal was signed until the middle of 2026. The agreement now extends until June 2031. The extension, both strategic and timely, demonstrates the foresight of the club, locking up its most prized asset and making the decision it did to create stability during an still-fragile financial landscape.
The agreement is for a basic 30 million euros a year with the potential to rise to 40 if targets are met. It's a sum that is breathtaking, indeed, but one justified by both his past performance and promise. Barcelona, all those years, at long last got itself a world-class star and is going all out for him.
Statistics that justify the hype
Lamine Yamal is treated like the real deal. Just in his second professional season, he’s already up to 55 games, 18 goals, and 21 assists. He contributed to the sweep of La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the Spanish Super Cup. In the Champions League, he guided the way to the semifinals, a level not achieved by Barça since the 2018/19 season.
Despite a team laden with veterans in name, Yamal stood out. Maturity for a player of his age was one thing, as he had shown decisiveness, creativity, and toughness. And most importantly, he played with personality. The kind of personality you can't learn in a classroom. So far, the highest earner at the club had been Robert Lewandowski, who was receiving a 36 million euro wage during the previous season.
Today, not only does Yamal earn more than the Pole in wages, he also beats him in symbolism. Lewandowski arrived as a ready-made star. Yamal is the opposite: homegrown and pushed at the appropriate moment.