"You remind me of the great Diego Armando Maradona" - Lamine Yamal's father likens Barcelona star to Argentina legend
The father of Barcelona star Lamine Yamal has once again heaped praise on his son, likening him to late Argentine legend Diego Maradona.
Yamal’s father, Mounir Nasraoui, had previously put him on a pedestal before now, as he jokingly claimed that his 17-year-old son blessed Lionel Messi after a picture of the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner carrying his son went viral two months ago.
Since breaking into Barcelona’s senior team, Yamal has taken the world by storm as he is consistently dishing out impressive performances. He became a sensation after his incredible run with Spain in their Euro 2024 triumph.
His performances didn’t go under the radar, as they earned him a spot in the Ballon d’Or top 30 list. He has already scored four goals and provided five assists for La Blaugrana this season. His latest goal contribution came in Barca's 5-1 trashing of Villarreal, where he gave Raphinha an out-of-the-top drawer assist to score their fifth goal.
His outstanding performances seem to have amazed his father, who took to Instagram to compare his 17-year-old son to the legendary Diego Maradona. Nasraoui posted a picture of his son Yamal and captioned it:
''Great son, you remind me of the great myth Diego Armando Maradona."
Lamine Yamal, meanwhile, has said that he doesn’t really care much about being compared with football greats. While the Spanish winger acknowledged the praise he received from people, he said he is more concerned with leaving his own legacy.
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick responds to why Lamine Yamal has started every game so far this season
Hansi Flick has confirmed that he has no intention of benching Lamine Yamal anytime soon. The La Masia graduate has played every single game for La Blaugrana this season and has been in red-hot form so far.
Apart from Barcelona, the La Masia graduate also featured in Spain's Nations League fixtures against Serbia and Switzerland in the international break. Consequently, there were concerns about the workload taking a toll on him anytime soon. Barcelona will face Getafe in La Liga tomorrow (September 25).
When Flick was asked about Yamal’s game time in the pre-match conference, he responded (via GOAL):
"We have all the data on the players, he doesn’t need to rest at the moment. We’ll look at it, but I don’t think he needs to rest tomorrow. We have to start well tomorrow and start with a great team. Lamine has been doing incredible this season. We have to continue with this performance.”