Adriana Garcia
Apr 15, 2026, 09:53 AM
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Lamine Yamal's quest for a Champions League title has come to an end this season but the Barcelona star left Atlético Madrid in no doubt that he is among the best players in the world.
Atlético left-back Matteo Ruggeri marked Yamal in Tuesday's Champions League quarterfinal return leg and marvelled at his talent.
"Compliments to him, for the player he is, for the quality he has," Ruggeri said of the Spain international to Sky Italia.
Yamal, 18, scored his team's opener in Barça's 2-1 win on the night at the Metropolitano. It was the teenager's 11th Champions League goal. No player has scored more in the competition before his 19th birthday.
"We all know the quality he has, the player he is," Ruggeri said. "We've all done well, it wasn't just me, to limit him. That allowed us to press forward and score. I wish him the best for his career."
Ruggeri, who needed six stitches after suffering a bloody facial cut after colliding with Barça's Gavi on Tuesday, said his team "let everything on the pitch" to reach their first semifinal since 2017.
Despite losing the tie on aggregate, Barcelona got the win on the night partly due to Lamine Yamal's contributions, including his goal inside the first five minutes of the game. Guillermo Martinez/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Atlético, who had eliminated Barcelona from the Copa del Rey last month, had taken a 2-0 lead from the opening leg but were made to work to progress 3-2 on aggregate.
"Barcelona is a team that plays very well but we have defended well and been able to push forward," Ruggeri said. "We've left everything on the pitch, we fought until the last minute. We are happy. We need to be very proud to have done what we've done against a very strong team."
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Atlético will face the winner of the tie between Arsenal and Sporting CP in the next round.
In the meantime, the Rojiblancos, will look to cap off a great week by lifting the Copa del Rey trophy on Saturday when they take on Real Sociedad.