FC Barcelona's 17-year-old Spanish sensation Lamine Yamal has etched his name in club history, surpassing the legendary Lionel Messi's long-standing dribbling record in La Liga during a thrilling 1-0 win over Deportivo Alaves on Sunday.

Although Belgian striker Robert Lewandowski scored the decisive goal in the 61st minute, it was Yamal -- already hailed as one of the brightest talents to emerge from La Masia -- who stole the spotlight at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium.

According to OptaJose, Yamal completed 11 of his 21 dribbles, surpassing Messi's 18-year-old record of 20 attempted dribbles from a 2007 clash against Mallorca, where the then 20-year-old Argentine completed 10.

With Barcelona under pressure to capitalise on Real Madrid's slip-up against Espanyol, Yamal took centre stage early on. In a moment of pure brilliance, he weaved past five Alaves defenders before delivering a perfectly weighted outside-of-the-boot pass to Raphinha -- only for the Brazilian to miss the finish.

Lamine Yamal's crazy dribble from this angle is INSANE pic.twitter.com/xXtlPtAk3m

— Barça Worldwide (@BarcaWorldwide) February 2, 2025

The breathtaking solo run reignited inevitable comparisons to Messi, a connection that has followed Yamal ever since a photo of a young Messi cradling him as a baby resurfaced last summer during Spain's triumphant Euro 2024 campaign.

"Lamine is a genius. What he did, in some situations, it's unbelievable," Barcelona coach Hansi Flick reflected after match.

"For 17 years old, he's doing great, and every match is good. And the opponents are not so easy to play against. They are strong, defending good, they try to attack him, aggressive, but he's doing good. I love it," added the German coach.

The win at Alaves leaves Barcelona three points shy of second-placed Atletico Madrid and four short of league leader Real after 22 matches.