Barcelona enters the decisive stretch of the course with three major objectives on the horizon: League, Copa del Rey and Champions League. In this context, the great Barça hope has its own name: Lamine Yamal.
Those led by Hansi Flick come from an almost perfect season, in which they won the national treble (League, Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup) and he was minutes away from playing in the Champions League final. In the midst of that success, the jewel of La Masía was a structural piece, capable of making a difference even on adverse nights.
With a club that still suffers from financial difficulties and a demanding competitive situation, repeating what happened last year would be a major achievement. For that, the team needs the best version of Yamal or, at least, the best we have seen so far in his short but impactful career.
With one of the four titles already in his pocket, After the Super Cup won against Real Madrid, the culés will fight until the end for LaLiga. In the Copa del Rey, the road will not be easy: in the semifinals there is a tough match against Atlético de Madrid.
The great debt continues to be Europe. Barcelona has not lifted the Orejona since 2015 and the excitement once again depends, to a large extent, on what Yamal can generate. The winger had an irregular start, conditioned by groin discomfort, in a context in which Hansi Flick also suffered sensitive absences such as those of Raphinha and, currently, that of Pedri.
In a few weeks the culminating stage of the season will begin and Lamine’s football status will be decisive. For now, the pearl is focused on and off the field, far from controversy and with a maturity inappropriate for his age. Flick has had to manage a battered squad: the defensive loss of Iñigo Martínez, the psychological issues of Ronald Araújo, minor physical discomfort in Yamal, Raphinha and Pedri, and the more serious absence of Gavi. Even so, Barcelona was recovering pieces and, above all, its main ace.
The king of dribbling
Lamine Yamal leads the art of imbalance. Along with Jérémy Doku, he is one of the two players with the most successful dribbles in Europe’s five major leagues since the start of last season. Barça’s “10” has 238 dribbles, 90 more than the Belgian.
Already the previous year he had clearly surpassed Vinícius Júnior, until then considered the king of the dribble in European football.
“I’m not focused on numbers, I care that we win. Of course I like to score goals, but I also enjoy giving a good pass. What I like most is winning,” Yamal pointed out. Statistically, his numbers match: 14 goals and 13 assists in 29 games in all competitions. However, its impact goes far beyond the numbers: it accelerates, breaks lines and conditions entire defenses.
“We will go with everything”
Barcelona has suffered in the Champions League in recent years, even against theoretically inferior rivals. But this group arrives with renewed confidence, reinforced by having won five of the last six classics against Real Madrid. “Whoever we face, we will go all out and try to win,” Lamine said.
Yamal himself knows that another great season could bring him closer to the Ballon d’Or, after having been second in the last edition. With the first World Cup with Spain on the horizon, winning titles and being decisive in the final stretch can mark a historic year for a talent who is no longer promising, but present, and who dreams of becoming a Barcelona legend.
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