Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez believes that 15-year-old Lamine Yamal has the potential to become a star player at the club after his debut in the LaLiga match against Real Betis on Saturday.
Yamal, who turns 16 in July, came on as a substitute for the final 10 minutes and made history by becoming the youngest-ever debutant for the Catalan giants in the Spanish top flight. While Luka Romero, who now plays for Lazio, remains the youngest player to have ever played in LaLiga, Yamal joins an exclusive list of only five players to have played in the league before turning 16.
Xavi praised Yamal’s performance, stating that he encouraged the young player to try new things, which he did with confidence. He also stated that Yamal showed great potential and could have even scored a goal if not for Betis goalkeeper Rui Silva’s save. Xavi praised the young player’s maturity and talent, highlighting his ability to make good passes in the final third.
Yamal has already drawn comparisons with Lionel Messi and Ansu Fati, who were both hailed as teenage prodigies when they broke into the Barca first team. When asked about the comparisons, Xavi said that Yamal was a similar player to Messi and Fati in terms of innate talent in the final third. He further stated that Yamal had the potential to mark an era at Barcelona as part of the team.
The young player received a rousing reception from the 88,000-strong crowd at the Spotify Camp Nou stadium. Barca forward Raphinha, who scored the third goal in the match against Betis, predicted that it won’t be long before Yamal scores his first goal for the club.
The match against Betis saw Andreas Christensen make a successful return from injury, opening the scoring for Barca in the 13th minute. Betis were reduced to 10 men when Edgar Gonzalez was sent off for two bookings, and Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha added two more goals for the Catalan giants. An own goal from Guido Rodriguez completed the scoring late on, after Xavi brought on Ousmane Dembele, who returned from a three-month injury layoff.
Xavi expressed his satisfaction with the team’s performance, stating that they had responded well after their midweek defeat at the hands of Rayo Vallecano. He praised the team’s well-rounded performance and the fact that he was able to rotate and give minutes to other players. Xavi also expressed his pleasure at Dembele and Christensen getting some game time after returning from injury, calling them “special players.”
The win restored Barca’s 11-point lead over Real Madrid at the top of the LaLiga table as they look to secure their first title since 2019. Betis coach Manuel Pellegrini accepted that Barca had been the better team but was unhappy with the red card shown to Edgar, stating that neither of the bookings were justified. He criticized the referee for allowing himself to be influenced by Barca’s players and changing his decision.
