Yamal breaks Mbappé's Champions League under-20 scoring record as Barça demolish Villa 3-0

Lamine Yamal became the all-time leading Champions League scorer before the age of 20 as Barcelona beat Aston Villa 3-0 at Spotify Camp Nou on 3 November, surpassing the mark of 13 goals set by Kylian Mbappé. Yamal’s opener was his 14th goal in the competition, a record that arrives with added bite given Mbappé scored twice in Real Madrid’s 2-1 Clásico victory over Barcelona just nine days earlier.

A Villa error in the seventh minute handed Yamal the opportunity, and he curled the ball past goalkeeper Zion Suzuki to break the deadlock and the record simultaneously. No player had scored more in the Champions League before their 20th birthday. Mbappé, who now has 72 Champions League goals in total across his career, had set the previous mark of 13. Yamal does not turn 20 until next July, meaning the record could grow considerably before the cut-off.

The two forwards had previously been level at an earlier milestone — each had scored 10 Champions League goals before their 19th birthdays, according to FC Barcelona.

Raphinha took over from there. The Brazilian forward doubled the lead in the 52nd minute and struck again 12 minutes later to complete a dominant evening. His brace moved him alongside Ronaldinho in Barcelona’s all-time scoring list and pushed his tally for the season to 19 goals in 13 games. The club named him MVP, while goalkeeper Joan García was singled out as the standout performer of the first half.

The result carries real weight in the league-phase standings. Barcelona had lost 4-2 to PSG in their previous Champions League outing, and a clean sheet against Villa steadied the ship. The win also ended Aston Villa’s perfect start to the competition — they had won all three of their previous league-phase games, and this was their first Champions League defeat of the season. Villa noted it was also the clubs’ first meeting since Barcelona’s two-legged Super Cup win in January 1983.

Barcelona now sit second in the league phase, behind only PSG, who have four wins from four. Villa remain level on points with Barça but trail on goal difference. The league phase continues until 27 January 2027.

Attention now turns to La Liga, where Barcelona visit second-placed Atlético Madrid at the Metropolitano on 8 November before an international break. They return to home action against Villarreal on 22 November.