Lamine Yamal remains the King of Dribbling

BeSoccer 2 days ago 3.2k |

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Yamal ended the 2024/25 season as the best dribbler in Europe's top leagues. EFE

After the first two matchdays, Lamine Yamal tops the charts for dribbles attempted and completed, not just in Spain, but across Europe's top leagues.

Lamine Yamal ended the 2024-25 season as the best dribbler in Europe's top leagues. He attempted a staggering 407 dribbles, far surpassing Vinicius (265) in second place and Moses Simon (261) in third. He also led the way in completed dribbles (223), ahead of Jeremy Doku (161). According to BeSoccer Pro, he's already dominating this metric again after just two games of the domestic campaign.

In this still-young season, the No 10 – a shirt number he's only just inherited – is staying true to form. In the two matches against Mallorca and Levante, he has been relentless, constantly taking on his markers. Manu Sanchez proved a tougher challenge at the Ciutat, particularly in the first half, but he gradually gained the upper hand, dribbling past the defenders and creating the kind of instability his team thrives on. After the first two matchdays, he remains Europe's undisputed dribbling king.

What's striking is that while other players tend to cluster around similar figures, Yamal stands apart. Nico Williams is fourth in the major leagues for dribbles attempted after the first two games, with 18. Ahead of him are Joel Roca (Girona) with 19, and Mason Greenwood (Olympique Marseille) with 24. Lamine almost doubles the second-placed player, reaching a remarkable 41.

While taking on opponents always carries the risk of losing possession, the Barcelona winger boasts a success rate of nearly 60% – 58.54% – having completed 24 of those 41 attempts thus far. This puts him ahead of Greenwood (13), Nico Williams (12), and Hudson-Odoi (10). Interestingly, many of his take-ons come from a standing start.

As the BeSoccer Pro infographic shows, his average number of accelerations per match is low compared to other players in the major leagues. Nevertheless, he is the most destabilising player after these first two matches. He has also contested the most attacking duels (55) and won the most (30). Furthermore, Lamine Yamal has had the most attempts from outside the box (11), ahead of Vitinha (6), and has touched the ball in the opposition's box the most times (18), surpassing Nicolas Pepe (15) of Villarreal.