“He’s going to win the Ballon d’Or for sure”

Barcelona took a heavy blow yesterday after losing 2-0 at home to Atlético Madrid. Their place in the Champions League semifinals now looks a lot more difficult to reach, but they are holding on to the one piece of good news they had all night: Lamine Yamal.

The Spanish forward turned in a superb performance, but he could not rescue his team and at times looked increasingly frustrated as he tried almost single-handedly to soften the result.

Former England player Micah Richards came to his defense: “If you think he had a bad game, football is not for you. Seriously. Go watch another sport because you clearly do not understand. Lamine was absolutely magnificent. Sensational. He was playing chess while everyone else was playing checkers.

"At 18, he wanted the ball, he was taking on three players at once, creating chances out of nothing ... different class! But let’s be honest, and it pains me to say it, his teammates let him down. He brought the magic, the spark, and the rest? They were stuck in second gear. It’s unfair that such an incredible performance ends in defeat because the others could not match his level. We are witnessing greatness, and we need to start respecting it.”

He was not the only one to defend him. Thierry Henry, the former Barcelona forward, also stepped in to praise him: “Lamine Yamal is absolutely devastated. He gave everything tonight, he tried everything he could. But he was let down.”

Joe Cole went even further: “He’s going to win the Ballon d’Or for sure – give him five years at most.”

Ronald Koeman, who overlapped with Lamine when the winger was still in the academy, said the teenager is carrying too much on his own: “Right now, the whole system seems to depend too much on Raphinha and Lamine Yamal. When those two are not fully involved or not at their best, the team loses creativity, rhythm and confidence. Today I felt Rashford was the only player who really tried to support Yamal and create danger in attack. But at this level that is not enough – you need more players to take responsibility. And honestly, it is sad to see Barcelona lose like this at home. This stadium used to be a place where opponents suffered. Now teams come here believing they can win, and that is a big problem.”

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