With his remarkable performances at such a young age, Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal has become one of the hottest topics in European football over the past year.
The youngster has already broken almost every youth-related record and is showing no signs of slowing down. This season, he is also improving his end product as he already has five goals and five assists for Barcelona in all competitions.
He has garnered praise from nearly every prominent figure in European football, and as previously reported, one of Real Madrid’s defenders also expressed admiration for him today.
As SPORT has reported, the latest individual to praise the incredible level at which Yamal is playing is former Barcelona forward, Rivaldo. The Brazilian legend believes the 17-year-old Spanish winger has already reached the level of two of Real Madrid’s biggest stars:
“He’s a great player. I admire him because he has personality despite being young. But he already has a very, very high level. I believe he’s already on par with Mbappé and Vinicius.”
“You see Yamal and he plays with joy. He enjoys football. Adding the fact that he has already won the Euros makes him a standout player for the future. I’m convinced of it.”
In addition to praising the €120 million-rated Barcelona forward, Rivaldo also took this opportunity to highlight the good performances of Barcelona since Flick’s arrival, but also had a piece of warning for the German tactician:
“In big teams like Barça, everything depends on results. It’s true that Flick’s Barça is performing phenomenally… but there’s still a lot of the season ahead. A lot of Champions League, a lot of La Liga, and the Cup. I would be cautious and wait until the end of the season. If you don’t win a title at Barcelona, the fans and the press will criticize you.”
However, the Brazilian believed that the Catalans would be able to get their hands on a major title at the end of this season:
“At Barça, the only thing that matters is reaching finals and winning titles. If you don’t bring a trophy to the cabinet, the fans and the press will question you. But that being said… I see a different Barça compared to last season, and I believe they already have everything needed to win major titles. But… we have to wait.”
Hopefully, Flick will continue to make his team perform at this level as the season progresses. But there is no doubt about the veracity of Rivaldo’s claims, as not getting a trophy at the end of the season can cost any Barcelona manager his job, irrespective of what results his team gets during a season.
