Lamine Yamal reveals what he’ll do with his match ball after scoring first hat-trick for Barcelona

Barcelona teenager Lamine Yamal etched his name into Camp Nou folklore on Saturday, registering his first hat-trick for the club in a 4-1 La Liga victory over Villarreal that sent Hansi Flick’s side four points clear at the summit of the table.

The 16-year-old’s treble powered the Catalan giants to a commanding win and underlined his rapid emergence as a decisive force in the title race. When the final whistle confirmed the result, Yamal was presented with the match ball, a keepsake he immediately pledged to give to the person who has been with him from the start.

“I’ll give it to my mom,” he told reporters, a gesture that was followed by an emotional family embrace captured by television cameras on the pitch.

While the spotlight belonged to Yamal, the winger was quick to deflect praise toward teammate Pedri, whose introduction off the bench coincided with a shift in momentum. “On the bench I was talking to Tek about how everything changed when Pedri came on,” Yamal explained. “He took control of the game. The pass he gave me (for the 3-1 goal) was incredible, he left me alone. I’m also happy about his return.”

Yamal’s third goal arrived shortly after Pedri’s entrance and sealed both the win and a pre-planned substitution. “Flick and I talked about the substitution if we scored the third goal. I scored it and the two things came together!” he said, smiling at the neat symmetry of the afternoon.

The victory keeps Barcelona atop La Liga ahead of another demanding fixture, yet for Yamal the day will be remembered less for league positions and more for a maiden treble, a grateful gift to his mother, and a glimpse of the club’s future written in bright, fearless strokes.