As Europe marvels at Lamine Yamal’s extraordinary rise, another teenage forward in Marseille is quietly stitching together numbers that place him in rare company. At just 18, he has become one of the few young players in Europe capable of keeping pace “at least statistically” with the early-season output of Barcelona’s generational talent.
Yamal, already a global talking point, has spent the past year smashing age records and announcing himself as one of football’s brightest futures.
Yet as he dominates the spotlight, a handful of emerging prospects across the continent are beginning to leave their own imprint. Among them, an unexpectedly explosive Marseille attacker has slipped into the conversation with little attention.
A graduate of the Sochaux academy, Robinio Vaz made only three senior appearances last season before manager Roberto De Zerbi decided he was ready for a bigger role. This season, despite starting only three Ligue 1 matches, Vaz has already been involved in six goals, placing him near the top of Europe’s under-20 performers.
His contributions have arrived steadily:
- his first goal in the 5–2 win over Paris FC in August,
- an assist against Metz in October,
- a goal-and-assist display against Le Havre,
- and a late-month brace in the draw with Angers.
With four goals and two assists from limited minutes, he sits just behind Yamal, who boasts eight goal involvements for Barcelona.
Yamal’s own tally, four goals and four assists in eight appearances, comes from decisive moments: a goal and assist against Mallorca, key contributions against Levante and Real Sociedad, a penalty at Rayo Vallecano, and strikes against Elche and Celta. Even with minor injury setbacks, his influence remains undeniable.
Elsewhere in Europe, Köln’s Said El Mala and Leipzig’s Assan Ouédraogo and Yan Diomande have also reached five goal contributions. Yet none match the Marseille teenager’s efficiency.
Minutes That Matter
Per-minute analysis draws an even sharper contrast.
Yamal contributes a goal or assist every 79.3 minutes a brilliant figure by any measure. But Marseille’s rising forward, used mostly from the bench, has produced six goal involvements in just 290 minutes, averaging one every 48.3 minutes.
It is a staggering return for a player still finding his feet in senior football.
Whether this early surge marks the beginning of something enduring remains to be seen. But for now, one truth stands out: quietly, without the spotlight that follows others his age, Marseille may have unearthed a young forward capable of shaping their future “and perhaps France’s” as the season unfolds.
