Most footballers have not even made their professional debut by the time they turn 18. Lamine Yamal is not most footballers. The Barcelona and Spain forward celebrates turning 18 on Sunday with the world at his feet. His short career has already earned winners' medals in the European Championship and LaLiga filled with highlight reels of tricks, assists and goals that have registered millions of views worldwide. Off the pitch, he has demonstrated a confidence rarely seen in teenagers taking their first steps in the game, challenging opponents on social media and unafraid of making bold statements that could come back to haunt him. So far, it has all been backed up with success for club and country. After becoming a European champion with Spain a year ago, he then led Barcelona to a domestic treble last season as well as a first Champions League semifinal since 2019. Not even Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo were so prodigious before turning 18. That does not mean Yamal will better their careers -- or even match them -- but if he continues to develop and improve at the current rate, it's impossible to predict what his ceiling will be. Now, as he already moves from talented teenager to global superstar, he has the challenge of keeping his feet on the ground and not rising to the distractions that he might encounter. So far, he has remained unfazed by everything thrown at him and as he turns 18, we take you through 18 key moments that have shaped his career to this point. 1. Blessed by Messi Perhaps Yamal was always destined for greatness. In a wild twist of fate, as a baby he was paired with a teenage Lionel Messi for a charity calendar organized by Barcelona and UNICEF in 2007. Each month would feature a player with a child from Catalonia, chosen by a draw. In the photograph for January, Messi, in the early stages of his Barça career, bathes a 5-month-old Yamal while the baby's mother is watching. The barely believable photo surfaced last summer when a 16-year-old Yamal was lighting up Euro 2024 in Germany. "I didn't before, but now I believe in destiny," the photographer, Joan Monfort, told ESPN. 2. Repping the 304 Every time Yamal scores, he celebrates by signaling the number 304. They are the final three digits of the postal code for Rocafonda, the neighborhood of Mataró where he grew up, 20 miles north of Barcelona. Head to the area and you will find 304 graffitied on buildings and bins. That has always been true, but what is also true now is that there is another message increasingly present: "More Lamine Yamals, fewer evictions." The Barça teenager is not only shining the spotlight on his hometown -- previously more known for its high level of immigration and the risk of poverty those living there face -- he's holding up a mirror for the next generation to push beyond their limits. 3. Flying the flags for family The flags of Morocco and Equatorial Guinea as well as Spain's have appeared on Yamal's boots frequently since his Barça debut. His father, Mounir, is from Morocco and his mother, Sheila, is from Equatorial Guinea, and though he has always represented Spain at international level, he has never ignored his origins. Yamal is also especially close to his cousin, Mohamed, who acts as his chauffeur and rarely leaves his side, and his paternal grandmother, Fátima, who still lives in Rocafonda. He credits his parents with keeping him grounded and says the sacrifices that come with his fame are worth it for his family. "To see the peace of mind my mum and dad have, it's something I could never have imagined," he told ESPN earlier this year. "My grandma calling me and telling me how well she's doing. It's priceless. I would not change it for anything." 4. Barça take a gamble All it took for Barça to sign Yamal from C.F. La Torreta in 2014 was a promise to send a youth team to take part in a local tournament. Barça's director of football at the time, Jordi Roura, had received a glowing report from a scout in Mataró. Yamal was invited for a trial and Roura, in very understated fashion, told ESPN in 2023 that "we decided it was worth taking a bet on him." 5. First-team debut (vs. Real Betis, April 29, 2023) An unintended quirk of Yamal's Barça debut was that the electronic board held up to announce his first-team bow as a 15-year-old displayed the numbers 304 in order: '30:41' (No. 30 for Gavi, the outgoing player, and No. 41 for Yamal.) Yamal's debut was the result of him racing through the club's academy at La Masia as part of the talented 2007 generation, which also includes fellow Barça first-teamers Pau Cubarsí and Marc Bernal. He scored 357 goals in 249 official games for the club's youth teams, astounding teammates as he jumped through the age groups. "He came up for a match with the 2006 generation," United States and Barça goalkeeper Diego Kochen told ESPN this year. "There was a 50/50 ball from the half field, volley, straight into the goal. I couldn't believe it." By the time Yamal was 15 years, 9 months old, Xavi Hernández, Barça coach at the time, had seen enough. It was time. With 83:48 on the match clock in a LaLiga game against Real Betis on April 29, 2023, Yamal was introduced for what was, until now, his only senior appearance at Camp Nou, as renovation work began on the stadium shortly afterward. 6. Record man for club and country After becoming the youngest player to represent Barça in LaLiga against Betis, Yamal embarked on a streak of breaking record after record for his precocity. He is the youngest player to score in LaLiga; to make their Spain debut; to score for Spain; to score at a European Championship; to play in a Euro final; to score against Real Madrid in a Clásico; to reach 100 Barça appearances; to score in a Champions League semifinal ... You get the point. 7. Messi comparisons When Yamal made his Barça debut, the competition for a right-wing berth came from Raphinha and Ousmane Dembélé. By the start of his first full season, following Dembelé's move to Paris Saint-Germain and Raphinha's red card against Getafe, Xavi was prepared to hand him the right flank. Yamal's consistency made it impossible to drop him, and given the fact he played from the right with his wand of a left foot, the Messi comparisons followed. His importance to the team grew, finishing the campaign with seven goals and nine assists from 50 appearances. By the end of the season even Xavi struggled to fend off the Messi similarities. He finally relented after Yamal's goal earned a 1-0 win over Mallorca in March 2024, when he acknowledged: "There are flashes." Mallorca coach Javier Aguirre had a slightly more amusing take on the comparisons. "I first saw Messi when he was with Barça's youth team and he was like a rat, fizzing around and scoring goal after goal," he said. "[Yamal] has the look of a rat as well, the rascal." Goal of the semi-finals ✅Lamine Yamal's incredible strike wins it! 😮‍💨👏#EUROGOTT | @AlipayPlus pic.twitter.com/BMzFOgLEkG— UEFA EURO (@UEFAEURO) July 14, 2024 8. That France goal Yamal truly announced himself to the world with a stunning strike in Spain's Euro 2024 semifinal win over France. The goal itself was brilliant, and typical Yamal, coming inside on to his left foot to bend the ball into the top corner, but it was also dripping in narrative. Before the game, France midfielder Adrien Rabiot had said Yamal still needed to do more to prove himself. Yamal responded before the match by posting on Instagram: "Move in silence. Only speak when it's time to say checkmate." At full time, after knocking Rabiot and France out of the competition, Yamal said "speak now" to the cameras, followed by a simple message on social media: "Checkmate." This was a 16-year-old showing ridiculous levels of talent, character and fearlessness for his age. 9. Becoming a European champion Yamal will never forget the summer of 2024. In Germany, as he studied for his high school exams, he was also plotting to conquer Europe. Along with Nico Williams, his wing play was one of the symbols of Spain's success as they beat England 2-1 in the final on the day after his 17th birthday. The Barça winger delivered when it mattered, either creating or scoring a goal in every knockout match: assisting Fabián Ruiz against Georgia and Dani Olmo against Germany, scoring against France, and setting up Williams in the final. Yamal ended the Euros with a tournament-high four assists, the Young Player of the Tournament award, a place in the Team of the Tournament and, most importantly, as a European champion. 10. New skill unlocked