Lamine Yamal talks Messi, Busquets, Real Madrid, Barcelona weakness: ‘Teams like Bayern or PSG…’

Lamine Yamal talks Messi, Busquets, Real Madrid, Barcelona weakness: ‘Teams like Bayern or PSG…’ During an appearance on Movistar programme ‘Universo Valdano’ , Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal covered a host of other subjects in an extensive interview. Apart from talking in great detail about the Ballon d’Or and stressing why he should win the top prize this year, the 19-year-old spoke about racism in football, Real Madrid, Lionel Messi’s legendary World Cup and recalled an early lesson from former Barça captain Sergio Busquets. Lamine wants Real Madrid in the UCL Asked about the Clasico rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid, Lamine reflected on Marcus Rashford’s first experience of the fixture, when Barcelona lost 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu last season. “In Rashford’s first Clasico , which we lost 2-1 at the Bernabeu, I watched him play and thought, ‘He still doesn’t know what a Clasico is,’” he said, highlighting the intensity and demands when Barça face Real madrid. “Then, in the return game, he realised what a Clasico was. He scored that free-kick and played with a completely different intensity.” Lamine explained that players who come through La Masia understand the significance of the fixture from the very beginning. “When you come from La Masia , from the first Clasico you play, you already know what it’s about. You know that match is a war.” Lamine wants to face Real Madrid in the Champions League. (Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images) Looking beyond domestic competition, he admitted he would welcome the chance to meet Real Madrid in Europe. “We’ve never faced Madrid in the Champions League. I’d like us to face them in the Champions League,” he stated. On racism in football Lamine also spoke forcefully about racism in football, having been subjected to racist abuse at several stadiums, including the Santiago Bernabeu . The Barcelona star acknowledged that action is being taken, but believes the punishments need to go further. “Things are being done, but some decisions should be taken more seriously. If someone commits a racist act and the whole world sees it, millions of children see it, you have to punish them properly,” the teenager remarked. He added: “A lot of the measures being taken are good, but I would change the way the punishment works. It’s something that cannot be tolerated.” Messi’s brilliance Lamine also had plenty of praise for former Barcelona captain and club legend Lionel Messi when reflecting on Argentina’s World Cup campaign. He said the level reached by the former Barcelona star was extraordinary, even by his own standards. “Everyone knows he’s the best player in history, but nobody expected such a legendary World Cup from him,” he said. “He took a national team to the final. Argentina have good players, but Leo was always the one who was there in the important moments,” Lamine added. For Lamine, Messi was the best at the World Cup. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) As such, for the teenage sensation, Messi was the standout player of the tournament. “For me, he was the best player at the World Cup because of everything he is and everything he generated. Nobody expected a player of Leo’s age, even if he was Leo, to be able to do those things at that level,” he noted. Barcelona’s weakness The Champions League remains Barcelona’s main objective, and Lamine identified the type of opponent he believes can cause his side the most problems. “Our weakness is against teams like Bayern or PSG, who are more physical and make you run a lot. They force you to stay focused throughout the whole match,” he acknowledged. He contrasted that with Arsenal, whom he sees as presenting a more tactical challenge based around possession. “Arsenal is a more tactical game, where you have the ball,” stated the teenager. Asked which team he considers the favourite in Europe, Lamine pointed towards PSG, while also highlighting the difficulty of winning consecutive major trophies. “I think PSG, but the problem they have is that it’s very difficult to win after you’ve already won. That’s the hardest thing in football. When you win a title, winning again is the hardest thing,” Lamine noted. On Sergio Busquets’ reprimand Lamine then recalled one of the first important lessons he received after breaking into senior football at Barcelona, with former captain Sergio Busquets playing a key role. The teenager had been suspended by the Spain national team for three weeks after what he described as some childish behaviour. Recalling how Busquets had reprimanded him, Lamine recounted: “One day, when I was going up to training, Busi stopped me and asked, ‘What have you done with the national team?’ “He said it seriously. I was a kid and I was terrified. I told him what had happened and he said, ‘Now you’re at Barça. Everyone knows who you are and, no matter what player you are, you have to behave.’” Lamine said the conversation changed his approach to life as a professional footballer, saying: “From then on, I changed my whole life and gave everything to football. I didn’t go out. I trained, played, rested, went to see my mother and carried on. Football, football and football.” Source: Mundo Deportivo