Having finished as the runner-up of last year’s Ballon d’Or, the spotlight has always shone bright on Lamine Yamal to see if he could keep up the high level he showed last season. As a teenager, after all, keeping up the same level was easier said than done.
Despite playing most of the ongoing season while dealing with pubalgia, however, Yamal has not stopped and has scored seven goals and provided as many assists in La Liga.
He is one of the team’s most influential creators and progressors of the ball, and his dribbling ability has only gotten better this time around, giving opposition defences nightmares.
Premier League legend praises Yamal
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand was asked about the Barcelona teenager and his quality in a recent interaction via Mundo Deportivo.
His reply, while short, spoke volumes about how special Yamal is and how difficult it is for opposition defences to control him.
“I’m happy I’ve retired,” he said, making it very clear that defending against Yamal would have been a nightmare had he still been in his playing days.
Former Manchester United player, Rio Ferdinand
Rio Ferdinand amazed by Lamine Yamal. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
For such high praise to come from one of Manchester United’s greatest defenders of all time, who has faced off against the likes of Lionel Messi, needless to say, is very special for Yamal.
Ferdinand’s statement came on the field of play after Barcelona’s win over Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup when he was asked about several stars of the Catalan setup.
The fact that the Manchester United great gave Yamal so much respect despite the youngster not directly contributing with a goal or assist says a lot about his influence on the game.
On the night, the teenage star played 89 minutes, completing two shots on target and missing one big chance to a great Thibaut Courtois save.
He completed a staggering six dribbles against Real Madrid, had 86 touches of the ball and completed 46 of his 54 passes. Further, he recorded two key passes and created one big chance.
While there is a school of thought that the player has not quite hit his levels of last season, the numbers say otherwise. The player has set the standard very high for himself, and he is not disappointing.