Six-goal thriller: Yamal on target for Barcelona
Barca were in Belgium for their latest European fixture, with Yamal named in Hansi Flick’s starting XI. He played a leading role in a wild contest that finished 3-3, with the Liga title holders never able to get their noses in front.
Yamal did his best to keep them in the game, with another impressive strike being added to his ever-growing collection. He certainly appeared to be fit and focused after facing plenty of questions recently regarding his professional and personal lives.
Is Yamal unhappy? Teenager reacts to rumours
He sat out seven games for Barca and Spain when nursing a pubalgia complaint, with surgery eventually being avoided, while he has split from Argentine rapper girlfriend Nicki Nicole. Unwanted attention comes with the territory of being a global superstar, but Yamal is eager to point out there is often little substance to the gossip that he generates.
Yamal told reporters when asked how he is feeling after recovering from injury and seeing his happiness in Catalunya called into question: “Very well, very calm. There has been a lot of talk about my groin injury, about me being sad, and it was all lies. I was the same as always, I was very happy, I was focused on my work, trying to get back to work and be able to play at this level, which is how I feel best and how I enjoy myself most.”
Boo who? Why jeers have no impact on Yamal
While the youngster is seemingly firing on all cylinders again, Barca boss Flick has reiterated that Yamal’s workload will have to be carefully managed. He said when delivering a fitness update on the exciting forward: “I am happy that Lamine is back on this level, but how I said also, we don't know what is tomorrow; we don't know what is next Sunday. The important thing is that he manages this situation he has now because it's not easy. He has to be focused on what he has to do, how he has to train and also the treatment. If he manages that the right way, hopefully it goes away, but it's not easy to say when with the situation.”
Yamal will want to play as often as possible for Barcelona, with a talismanic role being taken on for the Liga giants. Rivals around the world are rightly wary of what he can deliver on any given day.
That makes him an easy target for rough treatment on and off the field, with full-blooded challenges coming his way along with taunts from the crowd. Yamal has, however, learned how to turn a deaf ear to any detractors and considers boos to be a mark of respect.
He said of being jeered against Brugge: “It’s no coincidence. If it were another player, they wouldn’t boo. They boo me because they know I do my job well on the field. Little by little, the boos have stopped. That means I’ve done my job well, and I’m not worried about it.”
Barcelona fixtures: Next up for Yamal and Co
He added on Barca’s six-goal thriller in Belgium: “It’s a very difficult place to play. We are Barca and we always have to win, but now we are thinking about the next La Liga match. We knew they were a good team, especially at home. It’s very difficult to win when you concede three goals, that’s what we have to improve and what we are already thinking about.”
Barcelona, who sit second in the Liga table behind Clasico rivals Real Madrid, will be back in domestic action on Sunday when taking in a trip to Celta Vigo - with that fixture set to carry them into the next international break.