MADRID, SPAIN - OCTOBER 26: Lamine Yamal of FC Barcelona wears a special edition Coldplay match shirt during the LaLiga match between Real Madrid CF and FC Barcelona at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on October 26, 2024 in Madrid, Spain.

‘It shouldn’t bother you’… Lamine Yamal responds to racist insults that came his way during El Clasico

Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images

The story of Lamine Yamal and FC Barcelona is one that is already shaping up to be one of football’s most prominent kind. Hailing from La Masia and belonging to the same club as an academy talent, his development there is the stuff of dreams. Now, Lamine Yamal has consolidated himself in the first team as he continues to reach for new heights.

The young Barcelona sensation continues to rise and ascend as his journey to the top has only just begun. Over the course of his previous season, his first full campaign at the top level, Yamal had already proven that he has what it takes to compete and triumph against the very best.

That is why, just a couple of hours ago, the 17-year-old Spanish prodigy ended up winning the prestigious Kopa Trophy at the France Football Ballon d’Or ceremony of 2024. With that award now in the bag, Lamine Yamal is officially the best Under-21 player of the last year and he also finished 8th in the Ballon d’Or rankings, a historic feat.

However, beyond just his sporting achievements, Yamal has had his own fair share of issues with his doubters and opposition as well. During the latest edition of the El Clasico, one that Barcelona ended up winning by a scoreline of 4-0, Yamal was subjected to racist chants from the Real Madrid fans in the Santiago Bernabeu.

Unlike Vinicius Jr, however, Yamal’s way of dealing with such situations was not to make a bigger scene out of them. Instead, he continued to play his game normally and recently spoke about the incident, as highlighted by Mundo Deportivo, claiming that it does not bother him:

“I was the one on the field, I was the one celebrating, and if some fans throw a few insults at you, it shouldn’t bother you… in fact, it means you’re doing something right.”

He also assured people that his speech for the Ballon d’Or was referring to his own neighbourhood rather than him taunting Real Madrid after the recent El Clasico:

“We in Mataró always say ‘304 is the capital,’ and yes, later I was told it coincided with the Clásico, but it was really about Mataró.”

With the Kopa Trophy now secured, Lamine Yamal becomes the third Barcelona player to win the same award over the course of the last four editions of it. Pedri and Gavi have both previously won it, and all three Spanish gems are currently available for selection under Hansi Flick’s orders.

Tags Barcelona 4-0 Real Madrid Barcelona vs Real Madrid El Clasico El Clasico racism Lamine Yamal Santiago Bernabeu