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Best Goal of His Career? How Yamal’s Scissor Kick Compares to His Screamer Catalogue

Lamine Yamal added another masterpiece to his long list of stunning goals.
Lamine Yamal scored one of the goals of the season vs. Real Oviedo.
Lamine Yamal scored one of the goals of the season vs. Real Oviedo. | Josep Lag/AFP/Getty Images

Barcelona defeated Real Oviedo with relative ease at the weekend, but the headlines were completely stolen by Lamine Yamal, who scored a stunning scissor kick to clinch all three points with one of the goals of the season so far.

Hansi Flick’s side were already in cruise control when Yamal delivered the cherry on top of victory that saw Barcelona overtake Real Madrid to return to the summit of the La Liga title race.

Yamal was contained—as was Barcelona—throughout the entire first half against bottom of the league Oviedo. But the Catalans flipped a switch after the break and it was Yamal’s intense and aggressive pressing that resulted in Dani Olmo’s opener, which sent them on their way to three vital points.

Still, the teenager looked determined to finish the game with his first La Liga goal of 2026. Finally, with less than 20 minutes to go and with heavy rain starting to fall at the Camp Nou, Yamal made the latest addition to his continuously growing list of magic tricks.


Breaking Down Yamal’s Scissor Kick vs. Real Oviedo

Lamine Yamal and Fermin Lopez
Fermín López (back) looked visibly in awe after Lamine Yamal’s screamer. | Josep Lag/AFP/Getty Images

A clumsy Oviedo turnover allowed Marc Casadó to thread a pass to Olmo between the lines. The Spaniard then looked up to see Yamal all by himself entering the other side of the penalty area, with Robert Lewandowski dragging a marker with him. Olmo whipped in a cross that flew slightly behind Yamal and then the magic happened.

Yamal had to adjust to Olmo‘s cross, stopping immediately before contorting in the air to be able to reach the ball and drag it towards goal. The result? A perfect scissor kick that saw the ball dart into the bottom corner, leaving goalkeeper Aarón Escandell no chance of getting a glove on it.

A number of Barcelona players, including Olmo, were left stunned at what they’d just witnessed as Yamal ran off to celebrate by sitting on one of the advertisement boards next to the pitch, before an equally stunned Fermín López was the first teammate to celebrate with him.

Marc Bernal and Flick were also left in awe on the touchline, and the German boss shared his thoughts on the goal following the game.

“Everyone in football will surely see the goal Yamal scored,” Flick said, yet only after revealing that in his eyes, Yamal’s pressing that resulted in Barça’s opener was more important.

Flick might be trying to temper the hype surrounding Yamal’s latest work of art. However, the now-viral scissor kick will be the lasting memory of Barcelona’s win vs. Real Oviedo.

But is it the best goal of Yamal’s career?


How the Scissor Kick Compares to Yamal‘s Best Goals

Lamine Yamal’s goal vs France.
Yamal’s strike vs. France in the 2024 Euros is one of the most iconic goals of the decade. | James GillDanehouse/Getty Images

Yamal’s scissor kick was a work of art and it’s hard to argue against it being his best goal of 2025–26. However, it also might be an exaggeration to call it the best goal of Yamal’s career; in reality, it’s probably somewhere in the top five.

Comparing goals will always be a subjective debate and up for individual appreciation. Still, whether it’s because of the stage, the importance or the level of difficulty, here’s four goals from Yamal’s already incredible catalogue that are better than the scissor kick vs. Real Oviedo.


Magical Moment vs. Netherlands in Nations League Quarterfinal

With Spain and the Netherlands tied in extra time of the 2025 UEFA Nations League quarterfinal, Yamal gave La Roja the lead in the 103rd minute with a breathtaking goal.

Dean Huijsen’s long-range delivery into the path of a charging Yamal was perfect. Then, with just four touches, Yamal finished off one of the best goals of his career. A flawless first touch with the outside of his left foot allowed the teenager to cut inside with an equally devastating weak-foot “chop” to get away from Ian Maatsen, giving him space to take one more touch before curling a shot into the far post.

The online discourse that followed the goal pointed out that the first touch was straight out of Neymar’s locker, the ensuing touch was a trademark “Ronaldo chop,” and the finish was vintage Messi.

The level of difficulty of the entire action is astronomical, yet Yamal did it with incredible ease. Simply put, it’s a goal that only truly special talents are able to manufacture.


Yamal Lights Up the Champions League Semifinals

Barcelona had a mountain to climb after going down 2–0 at home against Inter Milan early in the 2024–25 Champions League semifinal when Yamal delivered one of the best individual goals of the season.

After tangling with Jules Koundé, Yamal was able to win a duel vs. Marcus Thuram and then he took off. A couple of body feints and shoulder drops sufficed to get past an out of sorts Henrikh Mkhitaryan, before Yamal opened his body to curl a shot around Alessandro Bastoni that went into the far corner with help from the post.

It truly seemed like Yamal was gliding on the pitch and the goal saw him become the youngest player ever to score in a Champions League semifinal, and ignited one of the greatest knockout ties in competition history.

Although Barcelona eventually were eliminated in heartbreaking fashion, Yamal’s strike will live forever in tournament history—it was later named the best goal of the 2024–25 Champions League season.


The 2024–25 La Liga Title-Winning Goal

Barcelona needed to win away against city-rivals Espanyol to secure the 2024–25 La Liga title over Real Madrid and to avoid a potential collapse in the final game of the season. With the game still scoreless, it was Yamal who broke the deadlock with a sensational goal.

For the first time all game, Yamal was given space to control the ball down the right wing and cut inside, quickly accelerating and looking for a better angle. Yamal never looked up—as if he had the top corner tattooed on his brain—before he unleashed a curling rocket into the top corner that left now teammate Joan García completely hopeless.

Alejandro Balde’s reaction says it all, and the goal planted the seeds of Barcelona’s eventual 2–0 win that saw them complete a domestic treble in Flick’s debut on the touchline.

Like the goal against Inter, Yamal’s curler vs. Espanyol went on to be named La Liga’s 2024–25 goal of the season.


Yamals Iconic Strike vs. France in 2024 Euros Semifinal

Only days before turning 17, Yamal fully announced himself to the world in emphatic fashion during the 2024 Euros semifinal, scoring a majestic goal vs. France that will live on forever in the sport’s folklore.

Yamal had offered glimpses of his otherworldly potential during his first full season as a professional in 2023–24. Then came the summer, where he played a vital role in Spain’s Euros title, leading the tournament in assists and scoring the best goal of the competition.

With Spain trailing in the semifinal vs. France, Yamal got on the ball and then momentarily cut inside before dropping the shoulder to create space to shoot, with Adrien Rabiot—who infamously called Yamal out before the game—marking him. Then, in a stroke of genius, the then-16-year-old fired a long-distance bullet into the far corner that slammed the post and went in despite Mike Miagnan’s best efforts.

“Magnifique” was the word France national team manager Didier Deschamps used to describe Yamal’s goal after the game and it’s hard to argue with him. The goal also saw Yamal become the youngest goalscorer in the Euros history.

Given the stakes, the stage and the sheer beauty of the goal, Yamal’s strike against France remains his best and most iconic goal to date. Nevertheless, with his career still very much in its infancy, the electrifying teenager will probably have plenty more goals that enter the conversation of his best ever when it’s all said and done.


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Roberto Casillas
ROBERTO CASILLAS

Roberto Casillas is a Sports Illustrated FC freelance writer covering Liga MX, the Mexican National Team & Latin American players in Europe. He is a die hard Cruz Azul and Chelsea fan.