Lamine Yamal‘s offense and play have made headlines more than once. For this very reason, the promising young Barcelona player has been compared to other players, such as the club’s former captain, Lionel Messi.
However, following his own path, the 18-year-old striker revealed what would throw him off balance if he were part of Barça’s defense.
Yamal shares what he wouldn’t like if he were a defender
Lamine joined Barcelona at the age of seven. He trained at La Masía, the club’s youth academy. At 15 years, 9 months, and 16 days old, on April 29, 2023, the forward made his debut with Barcelona under former coach Xavi Hernández in a match against Real Betis (they won 4-0).
Since then, Yamal has become the youngest player to debut for the club in LaLiga and has already racked up 32 goals and 43 assists in 120 games. He has also been part of the team that won two LaLiga titles, one Spanish Super Cup, and one Copa del Rey.
The young player was also named the best young player at Euro 2024 and finished second in the Ballon d’Or rankings after leading Barça to a domestic treble.
With a short but successful career, it is difficult to imagine the 18-year-old forward playing in defense. However, even Lamine himself finds it hard to imagine himself playing in that position. In fact, when asked by CBS’s 60 Minutes about his game and what he would dislike if he were a defender, Yamal replied:
If I were a defender, I wouldn’t like a player to keep nutmegging me. I’d tell him to calm down. My friends would make memes about me.
Lamine also revealed that he tries not to feel the pressure of the game and that he tries to enjoy it. “Football is everything to me. It’s the first love of my life and it will remain so,” he said.
Meanwhile, Yamal and Barcelona recovered from their 3-0 defeat to Chelsea with a 3-1 win over Alavés, including a goal from Lamine and two from Dani Olmo.
Now, they will face Atlético Madrid on Tuesday, December 2, at Spotify Camp Nou, hoping to extend their winning streak.
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