Barcelona icon Andres Iniesta has showered La Masia graduate Lamine Yamal with praise, saying his ascension to the highest echelon of club and international soccer is not normal.
In less than two years, Yamal has gone from being a rising La Masia starlet to one of the best players in the world. On April 29, 2023, Yamal made his Barcelona first-team debut. Aged only 15 years, 9 months, and 16 days, he became the youngest player in history to feature for Barca’s senior team. Earlier this summer, he broke a few massive records in the 2024 European Championship, becoming the competition’s youngest-ever player, scorer, and winner. The Spain international was already his country’s youngest player and scorer.
Andres Iniesta Lauds Barcelona Sensation Lamine Yamal
The sky is the limit for the unimaginably gifted Yamal, and Iniesta believes that he must continue to play with joy to fulfill his potential. In an interview with Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, the ex-Barcelona midfielder said (via Forbes):
“It isn’t normal as we think of normality. What he is doing so far is not normal.
“The challenge is that the environment and what accompanies him guides him to this evolution. He is 17 years old, he has his whole career ahead of him and what he must do is continue to enjoy that joy and the freedom of playing like he’s in the schoolyard.”
He continued:
“Therefore, everything that is around him must accompany him so that growth continues every year. Every year he will have to overcome himself, and that is the demand he will have at Barca and in the national team. At the same time, it is not easy.”
New Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has seemingly made Yamal more impactful in the final third, permitting him to venture forward more frequently. He has also been cleared to deliver more crosses into the area, which has greatly helped Robert Lewandowski put pressure on the opposition.
Since the start of the 2024-25 season, Yamal has played 11 games for the club in all competitions, scoring five goals and providing five assists. Last season, he played 50 games for the Blaugrana, scoring seven goals and providing nine assists.
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