Lamine Yamal is not just the future of Barcelona anymore. He is the present of La Liga.

The 18-year-old FC Barcelona No.10 has been officially named LALIGA EA SPORTS Player of the Month for November, an award handed out by the league in partnership with EA. It is a landmark moment for a teenager who has been carrying the attacking weight of one of the biggest clubs in the world, in one of the tightest La Liga title races in years.

This is not hype. It is backed by cold numbers and big-game impact: 3 goals and 3 assists in November's league fixtures, decisive contributions in every match, and a surge that has pushed him to the top of the assist charts in La Liga with 8 for the season.

Why Lamine Yamal Owned November in La Liga

La Liga does not give out the Player of the Month award for talent alone. It rewards players who decide games. Across November, Yamal did exactly that.

According to the official La Liga report, the Barcelona forward:

• Scored against Elche
• Scored against Celta
• Was “key” against Alavés, scoring again and adding an assist
• Delivered two assists against Athletic Club

Add it up and you get 3 goals and 3 assists in a single month of league action. That is a production rate you expect from fully formed superstars in their peak years, not from an 18-year-old still finding his way as a permanent starter.

There is a small stat twist here. An earlier social media caption around the award mentioned 2 goals and 3 assists in 4 starts. But the official La Liga breakdown confirms 3 goals and 3 assists, likely counting key minutes off the bench as well. For the record, the league's own site is the final word, and it makes Yamal's November even more impressive.

“This kid plays like he's been Barca's No.10 for ten years, not ten minutes.”

Barcelona's Perfect November and the No.10 at the Heart of It

The award cannot be separated from Barcelona's form. Xavi's side (or whoever is in the dugout at this point in the 2025/26 season) won all their domestic league games in November. In every one of those matches, Yamal was a central figure.

This stretch also matches a key emotional moment for the club: the return to Camp Nou after a long period away from their historic home. Big nights, big pressure, big expectations. And there, in the middle of it all, is a teenager wearing the sacred No.10 shirt once carried by Lionel Messi.

In this context, his November looks even bigger:

• He did not just score. He broke games open.
• He did not just assist. He created the passes before the passes.
• He did it when Barcelona needed wins to keep their title momentum alive.

It is easy to talk about “taking responsibility.” Yamal is showing what it actually looks like on the pitch, every week.

Beating Mbappé and Griezmann: A Statement Vote

The Player of the Month award is decided through performance data and fan and stakeholder voting. This month, the shortlist alone reads like a Ballon d'Or ceremony:

• Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid) – a global superstar and one of the league's main faces.
• Antoine Griezmann (Atlético de Madrid) – a proven match-winner and Atleti legend.
• Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad) – the creative leader of one of Spain's smartest clubs.
• Gerard Moreno (Villarreal) – one of La Liga's deadliest finishers when fit.

Yamal beat all of them.

That matters. Mbappé is not just any rival; he is the face of Real Madrid and one of the most famous players on the planet. Outshining him in a La Liga player vote at just 18 is not a normal step. It is a signal that the league, and its global audience, now see Yamal as one of its main stars, not a background wonderkid.

“When you beat Mbappé to Player of the Month at 18, that's not a phase, that's a warning to the whole league.”

The Season So Far: Not Just a Hot Streak

One question always comes up with young players: is this just a good month, or is this who they really are?

So far in the 2025/26 La Liga season, Yamal's numbers say this is more than a hot streak:

• 6 goals in the league
• 7 assists
• 12 matches played
• 11 starts
• 991 minutes on the pitch

That is direct involvement in 13 league goals before even hitting the 1,000-minute mark. For context, that is output usually associated with the top tier of forwards in Europe.

Across the league, these numbers place him:

• Among the leading scorers, just behind names like Mbappé and Robert Lewandowski.
• First in assists, making him officially the top creator in La Liga right now.

Data from performance tracking sites also backs up the eye test. Yamal has posted excellent match ratings in tough games, with standout scores like 9.4 against Alavés and strong performances against Atletico Madrid and Real Betis. This is not padding stats against weak teams; it is turning up in serious fixtures.

The Quiet Skill Behind the Highlights: Creation and Vision

Goals and assists are easy to see. What lifts Yamal above many young wingers is what he does before the final action.

The official Player of the Month announcement highlights that he finished November as the top assist provider in La Liga (8). Around that, club and media reports have also pointed out that he led the league in chances created in November. While that precise stat is not confirmed in the league tables, it fits what we see on the field: he constantly finds team-mates in dangerous positions.

His game is built on:

• Sharp decision making in the final third.
• Calm passing in crowded spaces.
• The ability to beat defenders 1v1, then pick the right option.

For a team like Barcelona, which still wants to dominate the ball and break down deep blocks, that combination matters as much as pure speed.

“It's not just the dribbles, it's the timing. He's making grown-up choices in kid's boots.”

The Weight of the No.10 and the Messi Shadow

The number on Yamal's back cannot be ignored. Wearing the No.10 for Barcelona is never just about football. It is about history, pressure and comparison.

He follows legends like Ronaldinho and, of course, Lionel Messi. For any player, that shirt can feel heavy. For an 18-year-old, it can crush you if you are not ready.

So far, Yamal is not only handling it – he is thriving under it. Being voted La Liga Player of the Month so early in his senior career is a strong answer to the question: “Is he ready for this stage?”

What This Means for Barcelona and La Liga

For Barcelona, Yamal's rise is both a sporting and symbolic win:

• Sporting, because they now have a genuine game-changer in attack during a season where the margin for error in the title race is tiny.
• Symbolic, because it proves their academy and youth-first identity still pay off, even in an era of mega signings and super squads.

For La Liga, this is gold. In a league headlined by established stars like Mbappé, Lewandowski and Griezmann, an 18-year-old Spanish international taking the spotlight helps build the next era of global interest.

Fans want storylines, not just results. Yamal gives them one: a local star, a famous shirt, classic rivals, and a league where his performances directly shape the title race.

What Comes Next for Yamal?

This award will not be the end. The real test starts now.

Defenders will study his movements. Coaches will double up on his flank. The physical and mental demand of a long season will grow. But if November is any hint, Yamal has the temperament to treat this award as a start, not a finish line.

His November numbers – 3 goals, 3 assists, top of the assist charts, Player of the Month over Mbappé and Griezmann – already place him among the most impactful players in Spain.

Keep this level up, and it will not just be La Liga awards on his shelf. It will be trophies, individual records, and the kind of global status few teenagers ever reach.

For now, though, the story is simple: in a month full of stars, Lamine Yamal shone the brightest. And La Liga has made it official.