Last Saturday became the youngest footballer to reach 100 games in the Spanish League. At 18 years 272 days, Lamine Yamal He made the centenary of appearances coincide with a goal in the 4-1 win against Espanyol, in a victory that puts Barcelona on track to repeat the title. The local front is quite determined, the Catalan team his future in Europe is at stake this Tuesday in a domestic clash that this season will be in its sixth episode for three competitions.
Atlético de Madrid will defend at the Metropolitan stadium the valuable loot he brought from the Camp Nou: a 2-0 that places him as favorite to advance to the semifinals, stage in which they would face the winner of the Arsenal (1)-Sporting Lisbon (0) series.
An important percentage of Barcelona’s chances depend on the imbalance provided by Yamal, who in the first leg already became the beacon of the comeback with a second half that showcased his repertoire of dribbles, waist breaks and change of pace. He lacked punch and final finishing, like the rest of the team, who felt the loss of Raphinha, also absent in the rematch.
Wearing designer glasses, Yamal gave a press conference in which he responded with the maturity to which a career that burns through stages at a dizzying pace is pushing him. “Since I was little I have assumed more responsibilities than I should. I am used to. I don’t see it as a problem, but as a virtue,” said the man who grew up in the immigrant neighborhood of Rocafonda, where loyalties run parallel to risks and bad company. As a child he had to assimilate the separation of his parents and relied heavily on the protection of his paternal grandmother.
Although he does not ignore the legacy of Lionel Messi In Barcelona, Yamal’s mirrors turn to other sports celebrities. He was 9 years old when the two goals and the colossal match of Neymar in it 6-1 from Barcelona to Paris Saint Germain to overcome a 0-4 deficit in the first leg. “I saw that win many times, also live. Neymar marked my childhood, he is my idol. I will always be grateful to him for what he gave to football, he is someone for whom you pay the entrance fee to see. I went back to watching their games just to see their plays. You have to thank him and I hope I can be in the World Cup.”were Yamal’s tribute words.
That 6-1, which had a goal from Messi, was considered a miracle. The Barcelona striker does not believe that a similar feat is necessary against Atlético: “We have to be intense, trust in our game and not think that we depend on a miracle. If we are eliminated it will be searching until the end. We will leave everything for the shield. This is not finished. The comeback is very possible, That’s why we are here.”
In the last few hours, Yamal uploaded a photo of LeBron James: “He is one of the references that can inspire me for the match against Atlético. “I’ll think about how he did it and I hope it turns out the same.”
Last season, Yamal experienced the incredible elimination in overtime against Inter in the semifinals as a great disappointment. He immediately vowed to reach the final in this course. “We have not won the Champions League for many years (since 2015, with the Messi-Suárez-Neymar trident), and We are Barça. “We think we can get through.”was the objective that was imposed.
At the beginning of this season, his level raised doubts, between rumors about his private life (he was in a relationship with Nicki Nicole) and a pubalgia that took away his continuity. His serious gestures were also scrutinized, as if he did not enjoy football.
His performance picked up in the second part of the season. With 14 goals and 10 assists he is the first player to reach double digits in G+A in the current Spanish League. “I’m really looking forward to it. I feel very good and motivated to make a difference,” he expressed, very confident in his resources. The defeat in the first leg was left as the “cage” that was assigned to him Diego Simeone with the full-back Ruggeri as the first custodian, assisted by the central defender of that side (Hancko until he was injured and then Le Normand) and one of the pivots (mostly Koke). “Let’s see if Cholo does me a favor and puts me one on one with a player,” he asked, as a license that surely they will not grant him.
Simeone’s press conference was very brief; He did not want to say whether the injured Jan Oblak would return or whether Juan Musso would continue and avoided any analysis of the match: “We have faith, we hope the team continues to respond and show confidence in what we want.” The Argentine coach will have to rebuild the central defense due to the losses of Hancko and Pubill.
