Although the current season has not gone exactly as planned for the FC Barcelona team as a group, some of the individual members of the squad are still having an unforgettable time.
This is true, especially for the youngster Lamine Yamal, who not only got his promotion to the first team this season, but has now also become one of the most differential players in one of the biggest clubs in Europe, and that too only at 16 years of age.
Barcelona fans are definitely thrilled with the progression that Yamal has shown in the last few months, but now, the youngster has provided his own perspective on how these months have gone for him in an interview with UEFA, which has been reported by SPORT.
The winger shared how he felt when he made his debut with the first team: “I went out to warm up, and when I entered the field, my ears got blocked, I couldn’t hear anything. It felt like a minute, but in my legs, it seemed like an hour.”
“I ended up very tired. I went out to the parking lot where my mother was, and everyone was very happy. The next day, I trained again with the first team. It was a day of great happiness because the next day I was back to training.”
In addition to these experiences on the pitch, Yamal also shared how he has developed inside the locker room since his debut:
“When I debuted, I was like a child in the locker room, not so important. Now I have more confidence with my teammates, I am more taken into account. It has changed a bit, but with the coach it’s the same, it’s a relationship of respect.”
Lamine Yamal was thankful for the chance to showcase his talent at such a high level and thanked Xavi for this confidence:
“All the children who are in football dream of being in the first team, many coaches have given me confidence. But it’s not the same to give it to you at 12 years old as when you are 15 to debut at the Camp Nou in front of everyone.”
Further commenting on Xavi, Yamal said: “I will thank him because not everyone makes you debut at 15 years old, and this season he has given me minutes in every game I have been able to play. He told me to enjoy it, to do the same as in training, and it would go well. To go out and play, to have fun.”
Lastly, Yamal was also wary of the challenge that he and his team will be facing in a couple of days as they face Napoli in the UEFA Champions League:
“In the league, there are games where you can be more relaxed, see how the game is going, but in the Champions League, the intensity is from minute zero. Anyone can beat you and do anything.”
FC Barcelona fans can rest assured that Yamal will put in another impressive display in the Champions League, just as he has been doing in La Liga. But keeping in view the team’s form, this tie against Napoli will be a significant challenge for Xavi’s men.
