Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández has spoken nice words about the 15-year-old Lamine Yamal after the easy 4-0 win over Real Betis. The talented attacker made his official debut for the Catalans in a full Camp Nou and wrote history in La Liga. The attacker, who only turns sixteen in July, was allowed to participate in the main force’s league match against Real Betis for just under ten minutes.
Yamal has been in the selection of Barcelona a number of times this season, so his debut is not completely out of the blue. Saturday night the conditions were perfect for his special baptism of fire.
Xavi reveals what message he whispered to 15-year-old Barça debutant
Yamal was already on Barça’s reserve bench against Atlético Madrid and Rayo Vallecano, but on Saturday evening Xavi thought the time was right for his baptism of fire. After the 4-0 against Betis’ ten, he decided to throw Yamal to the lions. He got ten minutes of playing time and showed himself. He almost scored himself, moments later he created an opportunity for Ousmane Dembélé with a soulful pass.
When Xavi queried his press conference afterwards, he was asked what he had whispered to Yamal before his substitution. “I asked him to try things,” Xavi replied. “At the age of 15 he is already a great talent and a special player. He can score, he can provide an assist. And if you see him in training you can see that he can become a great player,” said Xavi.
Xavi was satisfied with the youngster’s substitution: “Lamine has shown what he stands for. Despite his age, he is not afraid. He has that talent in the latter part of the field that is so extremely hard to find. He’s good at the combination and he’s smart. He is a player with a lot of potential and can be important in the future.”
Man of the Match Raphinha also had a compliment for his eleven years younger teammate afterwards. “When I was fifteen years old, I think I still played with my friends on the square nearby. It was incredible to see Lamine play at Camp Nou. He can become very important for the club,” the Brazilian also thinks.
