Barcelona's teenage sensation Lamine Yamal has infuriated Real Madrid supporters with his comments ahead of the El Clasico on Sunday afternoon. Just two points separate the top two sides in La Liga after 11 games this season, and so the 261st edition of this historic fixture looks to have every chance of living up to its namesake.
Yamal, as brilliant as he is - finishing runner-up to Ousmane Dembele in the 2025 Ballon d’Or and already among the favourites for next year’s Golden Ball - has never shied away from controversy during his formative years. He previously claimed that Madrid could not “handle” Barca last season, after Hansi Flick’s side came from behind to beat their rivals and win the Copa del Rey in April.
After ruffling feathers with that remark, he added a few days later, as per ESPN: “While I’m winning, they can’t say anything - when they beat me, they can.” Now, it seems little has changed this season, as the 18-year-old has once again made some bold claims about Xabi Alonso’s side.
Lamine Yamal Fans Flames With Real Madrid 'Rob and Complain' Jibe
Lamine Yamal
Lamine Yamal
Ahead of this weekend’s grudge match, Yamal appeared on the Kings League’s YouTube channel - the competition run by former Barcelona defender Gerard Pique - where he has recently become president of his own team, La Capital.
When asked by Ibai Llanos, the owner of Porcinos and La Capital’s rival team this weekend, whether his opponents were comparable to Real Madrid, he responded (see below):
"Yes, they rob [a reference to refereeing decisions], they complain, they do things..."
Llanos, a well-known Madrid supporter, immediately pushed back, asking, “Real Madrid steals?” To which Yamal doubled down, laughing nervously before reaffirming, “Well, let’s see, let’s see.”
The comment has since gone viral across Spanish media and social platforms, and will no doubt have stoked the rhetoric heading into this weekend, where a win for Flick and co. would see the Catalan giants leapfrog their rivals and edge into a one-point lead at the summit of Spanish football.
"Bro woke up and chose generational levels of disrespect," one X user commented, as another added: "He's lucky Pepe and Sergio Ramos aren't still playing." Elsewhere, a third remarked: "Coming from a player whose club was found guilty of paying referees, wasn’t relegated, and yet has the guts to rant about others."
Lamine Yamal El Clasico
En route to winning a La Liga, Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana treble last season, Hansi Flick’s side recorded four straight victories over Los Blancos. They beat their rivals 4-0 and 4-3 in the league, 3-2 in extra-time in the Copa del Rey final, and 5-2 in the Supercopa showpiece.
La Blaugranas could now match their longest-ever winning run against Real in all competitions, having only previously ever won five straight Clasicos under Pep Guardiola from 2008 to 2010. Flick, meanwhile, is one of only two coaches to win his first four matches in the entire history of the fixture, for either team. The other, of course, was Guardiola, whose five consecutive victories came in his first five Clasicos.