Lamine Yamal has been called out over his involvement in the drama that ensued following Barcelona’s defeat to Real Madrid on Sunday.
Barcelona suffered a 2-1 loss to Real Madrid with goals from Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe enough to secure the victory. Following the heated El Clasico encounter at the Bernabeu, Yamal was involved in a war of words with Madrid pair Vinicius Junior and Dani Carvajal.
The Barcelona wonderkid riled the Madrid squad with his ill-advised pre-match comments. “Yes, of course, they steal, they complain…” Yamal said when talking about Real Madrid on Twitch. The comments also didn’t sit well with former Barcelona star Rafinha, who called out the teenager after full-time.
Lamine Yamal held back as players of Real Madrid clash with him after the LaLiga EA Sports match between Real Madrid CF and FC Barcelona. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
Speaking with DAZN, Rafinha blamed Yamal for giving Real Madrid added fuel to go out and secure all the spoils in front of their fans. “He sinned through youth and a lack of maturity in saying what he said. His words gave extra motivation to Madrid,” Rafinha said.
Former Real Madrid midfielder Guti echoed the Brazilian’s sentiments, adding: “Lamine Yamal is too young to know the history of Real Madrid and Barça. I too would have called him out on his words.”
Yamal struggled in the game at the Bernabeu as he failed to directly contribute to a Barcelona goal, with Fermin Lopez on hand to score the Blaugrana’s first-half equaliser.
Dani Carvajal of Real Madrid gestures towards Lamine Yamal after the match. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
The Spain attacker has only scored twice in La Liga this season, but injuries have played a major role in his reduced output in the final third.
While Barcelona players defended Yamal’s behavior before and after the match, Real Madrid midfielder Tchouameni backed up Rafinha’s theory that Yamal’s pre-match comments did give Xabi Alonso’s side an extra boost.
The Frenchman was on the receiving end of a nasty Pedri tackle in the dying embers of a heated Clasico affair, with the former Monaco man admitting that Yamal’s words gave Los Blancos an extra spark.
“It gave us a little boost. There’s no bad blood, but those things light you up,” Tchouameni said after Real Madrid’s 2-1 win.
