Lamine Yamal reaches goalscoring feat at FC Barcelona last seen with Lionel Messi
Lamine Yamal opened 2026 in strong form, not only lifting the Spanish Super Cup but also extending a scoring run that could mark the most productive goalscoring season of his young career at FC Barcelona. With his current form, the Spanish prodigy has reached a goalscoring milestone at the club that had last been achieved by Lionel Messi.
Already cementing his legacy in just his fourth professional season at only 18 years old, Yamal recently matched Diego Maradona’s Barcelona scoring mark with a goal against Elche. But his latest strike in the Copa del Rey win over Albacete did more than place him alongside one Argentine legend—it also tied him with another.
By opening the scoring in Barcelona’s 2-1 victory over Albacete, Yamal found the net in four consecutive matches across three different competitions. Showing consistency against varied opponents and in different contexts, the last Barcelona player to achieve that feat was not a current squad member, but club icon Lionel Messi.
Yamal’s scoring run began on January 25 with a goal against Real Oviedo in a 3-0 La Liga win, followed by a strike (and an assist) against Copenhagen in the UEFA Champions League. He then scored again in league play versus Elche before capping the streak against Albacete in the Copa del Rey on February 3. In a span of just nine days, the winger recorded four goals and one assist across four matches.
Despite missing time earlier in the season due to pubalgia, Yamal has not lost momentum and remains on pace for his most productive campaign in front of goal. Last season (his best to date) he posted 18 goals and 21 assists in 55 appearances. In the 2025-26 season, he already has 14 goals and 12 assists in 29 matches, a remarkable rate that puts his personal best well within reach.
Messi’s longest goalscoring streak
Lionel Messi authored a singular legacy at Barcelona, highlighted by record-breaking goal totals, including the most goals in a single calendar year and the most goals in club history. While Yamal remains far from those benchmarks, his current run places him roughly halfway toward Messi’s longest consecutive scoring streak.
According to Transfermarkt, Messi’s longest streak of scoring in consecutive matches reached 10 games. Beginning on December 9, 2012, against Real Betis, Messi scored in seven La Liga matches and three Copa del Rey games, with the streak ending in the Copa del Rey semifinal first leg against Real Madrid on January 30.
Across three different competitions, Messi’s streak extended to nine matches, or even 10 when including a friendly with Argentina against Brazil. During a separate run in 2010 with Barcelona, Messi scored in five consecutive La Liga matches (netting 10 goals) along with three Champions League games and one Copa del Rey appearance.