Lamine Yamal’s rapid rise to prominence was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dire campaign for Barcelona in 2023/24.
The youngster enjoyed a superb breakthrough in the senior team, notably ending the campaign with 17 goal involvements, which is a tremendous feat for a 16-year-old.
Joan Capdevila on Lamine Yamal
Impressed by his strong growth, former Spanish left-back Joan Capdevila heaped praise on Lamine Yamal, comparing him to none other than Vinicius Junior.
“A player that will be talked about in Germany? Lamine Yamal. He is a player who has surprised me a lot. And he can give even more. He’s just getting started. He is a different player,” he said in an interview with Alfredo Matilla.
Capdevila, who played in over 400 matches in La Liga during his time at Atletico Madrid and other clubs, has a fair idea of dealing with wingers.
He specifically pointed out Yamal’s ability to haggle defenders while comparing him to not only Vinicius but also Nico Williams.
“Only Nico Williams, Lamine and Vinicius are like this in La Liga. There are not many more wingers that haggle like this. They make a difference,” he said.
Interestingly, Barcelona are one of the clubs interested in the services of Nico Williams this summer. He is, in fact, one of Barça’s top two targets along with Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich.
As for Yamal, Capdevila is not the first sporting personality in Spain to heap praise on the Barcelona youngster.
However, this is only the start of the journey for Yamal, as he looks to eventually establish himself as the face of the Barcelona attack in the years to come.
The ongoing European Championship could serve as an excellent opportunity for Yamal to further increase his valuation, with the forward in contention to feature in Spain’s Euro 2024 opener against Croatia this evening.