I might get a lot of hate for saying this, but not just Barça fans, football itself needs Lamine Yamal right now.
Yeah, I know he’s been all over the news this year, and honestly, not always for the best reasons. Some of his off-field stuff hasn’t helped either. But come on, the kid literally just turned 18. Let’s take a second to remember what we were like at 18, posting cringe quotes on Facebook, trying to figure out who we were, and making dumb mistakes. The only difference? None of us had millions of people judging every move we made on social media.
That’s exactly what Lamine’s going through except under the world’s brightest spotlight. Every facial expression, every argument, every Instagram story gets turned into a debate. One slightly arrogant comment and the internet starts painting him as “problematic.” But here’s the thing: confidence and arrogance walk a very thin line in football, and every great player has been accused of crossing it at some point.
What Lamine needs right now isn’t more criticism. He needs guidance. A mentor. Someone who can help him channel that fire in the right direction.
Because when you look at this current Barça squad, that’s what’s missing: the kind of leadership the club once had in abundance.
When Lionel Messi broke into the first team, he had Ronaldinho, Puyol, and Deco around him, not just legends, but personalities who shaped his mentality. Then came Iniesta, Xavi, and even Piqué, players who carried that responsibility for the next generation. But today? This Barça dressing room doesn’t really have those experienced heads who can put an arm around a kid like Yamal and say, “Calm down. Focus on your football.”
And football-wise, man, the kid’s special. We can’t deny that. His flair, his dribbling, his confidence, here’s something raw and exciting about watching him play. He’s not just another talented winger; he plays with that street-football energy, that joga bonito soul that’s slowly disappearing from the modern game.
See, football today has become too structured, too tactical. Every move is planned, every pass is rehearsed. Players are coached to minimize risk, and in the process, we’re losing the magic. That unpredictability. That chaos. That joy.
Lamine Yamal brings that back. When he picks up the ball and goes at defenders, there’s that same sense of anticipation that players like Ronaldinho, Neymar, and even prime Hazard used to give us. He plays with freedom, the kind of freedom that makes you fall in love with football again.
That’s why I say football needs Lamine Yamal. Because he represents something, we’re slowly losing the art of expressing ourselves on the pitch. But for that, he needs the right environment. He needs patience from the fans, maturity from the media, and mentorship from within the club.
Yes, he’ll make mistakes. He’ll say dumb things. He’ll frustrate you sometimes. But he’s 18, that’s literally part of growing up. If we expect him to be perfect already, we’ll end up breaking another generational talent before he even gets the chance to shine.
So instead of joining the noise, maybe we can just… support him. Give him space to grow. Because if he gets it right, if he learns to balance his fire with focus, he could genuinely be one of the players who define this next era of football.
Because beyond the drama, the headlines, and the hot takes, this kid is a baller. And football needs players like him, ones who make us remember why we fell in love with the game in the first place.
