The reporter reported coldly If the growth of a football superstar is compared to a 100-meter track, Yamal, who has just turned 17, is definitely the most shocking high-speed start in football after Pele.

Germany's transfer market network updated the value of players competing in the national team in June after the European Championships and Copa America. Yamal's value has surged from 90 million euros before the European Championship to 120 million euros, making him one of the top 10 players in the world. At the same time, the youngest European Cup champion became the youngest "Mr. 100 million" in history.

Of the more than a dozen records for the youngest age ever set by Yamal, the youngest "Mr. 100 million" record is the most important: it represents the football world's recognition of the young Yamal's athletic and economic value. After Messi, Barcelona and world football may really usher in another superstar who can create an era.

August 27, 2010 was a milestone moment in world football. On this day, on the player value list published by the Germany transfer market website, Messi, who is 23 years and 4 months old, became the first superstar in the world to reach 100 million euros. After that, reaching a value of 100 million euros is the threshold for a top superstar or superstar. On July 18, 2024, at the age of 17 years and 5 days, Yamal was worth 120 million euros, becoming the youngest "Mr. 100 million" since the site began evaluating the value of players in 2004. He surpassed Barcelona team-mate Gavi (90 million euros, 18 years and 3 months) to become the most expensive Under-19 player and the first Under-19 player to be worth 100 million euros.

Yamal's superstar has too high a starting point in life. Messi and Neymar were both 23 years old when they crossed the 100 million euro threshold, and Ronaldo was 27 years old. Mbappe, who is considered the successor to a new generation of players, was worth 100 million euros (120 million euros) at the beginning of 2018, when he was 19 years and 1 month old. Bellingham (19 years and 4 months) and Haaland (20 years and 4 months) were at least two years older than Yamal when they reached the 100 million euro mark, which shows how amazing Yamal's "precociousness" is.

Yamal is the seventh "Mr. 100 million" in Barcelona after Messi, Neymar, Coutinho, Dembele, Griezmann and Pedri! But he is the closest supernova since Messi to creating an era for Barcelona. In the new season, Yamal chose the number 19 that Messi wore 18 years ago, and was widely considered by the media and fans to take over the mantle of Messi. Yamal's jersey just hit the shelves of Barça stores on Thursday, and the regular-size jersey is almost gone, and the sales of Yamal's jersey are three-quarters of the total sales.

After the European Championship, Yamal's athletic and economic value reached the standard of a superstar. Yamal INS fans surged from 7.2 million to 15.7 million during the European Championship and now 17 million! Among the 19 "Mr. 100 million", the 17-year-old Yamal ranks sixth in terms of social media followers, only below Mbappe (121 million), Vinicius (49 million), Haaland (39 million), Bellingham (35 million), Rodrygo (19 million), and is on par with Kane. Yamal's social media followers are growing rapidly, and they will soon be able to surpass Rodrigo and enter the 30 million mark alongside Bellingham and Haaland.

Yamal's outburst has mixed feelings for the financially stretched Barcelona president Joan Laporta. The good news is that the blowout value and popularity of the 17-year-old can bring more commercial income to Barcelona. This season marks the 125th anniversary of Barcelona's founding, and Laporta wants a higher amount of advertising on his chest. Several offers of interest before the European Championship did not satisfy him, but now, things may turn around. Laporta also hopes to have more sponsors for other jerseys, training jerseys, and merchandise, and Yamal's popularity is the capital to attract investment.

The worry is that Yamal has not yet brought a new sponsor to Barcelona, and Mendes, the agent of La Masia's "future king", has asked for Yamal's salary increase. In October last year, Yamal renewed his contract with Barcelona until the summer of 2026, with a default clause of up to 1 billion euros in the contract. In addition, the annual salary surged to 3 million euros, making the 16-year-old the youngest millionaire in the football world. But now Mendes is no longer satisfied with a measly 3 million euros a year, he wants Yamal to get a high salary to match his value.

Mendes' reason is that he has not yet won the Champions League in 2007, and Messi, who has played against the sky, can already get an annual salary of 5 million euros, which was already the salary standard of a top superstar at that time. Just one year later, Pep Guardiola took office, and Messi's contract extension has reached 8.4 million euros per year, second only to Kaka and Ibra, and Messi was still only a main player at Barcelona, without the Champions League and Ballon d'Or in hand. At just 17 years old, Yamal has won the European Championship and the best newcomer award in the European Cup, and this year's Golden Boy award is no other than him. The ambition of the agent "predator" Mendes is to let Yamal get the highest salary in the Barcelona team.

Barcelona have a total salary of 450 million euros and will continue to sell players this summer before they have the few funds to spend on reinforcements. However, in order to keep Lamar, a "money printing machine" that can be used for 15 years, Laporta should not be stingy. Fans should not be surprised if the 17-year-old Yamal can get a sky-high contract with an annual salary close to or even more than 10 million euros in the coming months. For Yamal, who is most likely to be Messi's successor, this is a number that can match his future commercial value.