FC Barcelona have a real gem on their hands in the form of Lamine Yamal. The youngster is already getting regularly into the Barcelona first team dynamics despite him only being 16 years of age.
The player has been getting minutes throughout the pre-season and also started his first match for the senior Barcelona team in the second La Liga tie against Cadiz. While Yamal has proved his readiness to play at the highest level with performances in these matches, the Catalans are still going to take a patient approach with him.
Yamal to remain at La Masia
The sporting career of Lamine Yamal has been going exactly as planned. However, Xavi and the club will also have to take care of his extra-sporting aspects. According to Mundo Deportivo, one decision that the club has taken in this aspect to protect the player is to keep his residence at La Masia.
Yamal used to reside at La Masia when he arrived at the club in 2014 and has now also been living at the academy for the last few days. However, during the pre-season, Yamal used to come with his father to train at the club, as the La Masia facilities were closed. As these facilities are open now, Yamal will again live here in order to remain in a football-related environment throughout the day.
Jordi Roura and Aureli Altimira were the heads of the academy when they tied up Lamine Yamal. It was these individuals who decided that Yamal would be more protected if he remained at La Masia, and their decision is being respected today as well.
Yamal growing at Barcelona
Despite the sudden fame that Yamal has experienced in the last few months, it has not gone to his head as the youngster remains a shy but friendly individual. He is particularly close to Alejandro Balde in the squad, who is three years older than him, and is also friends with Gavi, Abde, Fermin, and Fati.
Barcelona are aiming to provide the youngster with the best possible guidance in every aspect of his personality. Staying at La Masia would help him attain a balanced diet, which is especially important for an individual of his age, as this is a time for muscle and bone growth.
Being at La Masia will also protect him from too much media exposure, that he would have to face if he stayed outside cub facilities.
