{"id":4149,"date":"2026-04-14T08:45:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T08:45:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/4149\/"},"modified":"2026-04-14T08:45:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T08:45:14","slug":"barcelona-icon-shows-support-for-lamine-yamal-after-recent-backlash-let-him-enjoy-himself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/4149\/","title":{"rendered":"Barcelona icon shows support for Lamine Yamal after recent backlash: \u2018Let him enjoy himself\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

With Barcelona facing a defining night against Atletico Madrid<\/a> in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg, the spotlight has naturally fallen on the players expected to deliver under pressure.<\/p>\n

Among them is teenage sensation Lamine Yamal, and former Bar\u00e7a star Ivan Rakitic has stepped forward to defend and support the youngster.<\/p>\n

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In the build-up to the clash, Yamal has found himself at the centre of debate following his recent comments<\/a> and on-field behaviour.<\/p>\n

However, Rakitic was quick to downplay the noise, instead highlighting the importance of mentality in such high-stakes encounters.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know which matches are special, and you prepare every little detail with a bit more care.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the same time, the Croatian emphasised that joy must not be lost in the process.<\/p>\n

\u201cNever forget to enjoy yourself and be happy, because there\u2019s a lot of pressure, but there are millions of people who would love to be in your shoes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Drawing inspiration from past European nights<\/p>\n

Barcelona head into this game needing something extraordinary, and Rakitic pointed to historic comebacks, such as against PSG, as a source of belief.<\/p>\n

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Rakitic has defended Lamine Yaml. (Photo by Eric Alonso\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Recalling iconic moments, he said,<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the comeback against PSG, the emotion we all witnessed\u2014not just Bar\u00e7a fans\u2014is indescribable, even unique.<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully, there will be more nights like that for Bar\u00e7a, the kind that stay with you for a lifetime.\u201d<\/p>\n

That sense of belief, according to him, must define the team\u2019s mindset.<\/p>\n

\u201cBar\u00e7a have already shown they\u2019re capable of scoring more than two goals. But even if they play a perfect game, there\u2019s very little room for error.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd this is the moment for the great players. Bar\u00e7a have many key players, and this is their moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Strong defence of Lamine Yamal<\/p>\n

Naturally, the conversation turned to Yamal, and Rakitic did not hold back in his support.<\/p>\n

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He stressed the importance of allowing the youngster to express himself freely while also embracing responsibility.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith Lamine, what we need to do is let him enjoy himself, dance, do his thing, but I\u2019d also like to see him take responsibility.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cNormally, you don\u2019t have to tell young players so much, but Lamine has reached a point where he demands a lot from himself and wants more, even though he\u2019s very young.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd these are the matches where he can grow a great deal, and Bar\u00e7a needs him more than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rakitic also praised the forward\u2019s natural flair and confidence, stating,<\/p>\n

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\u201cEver since he made his debut, he\u2019s had that \u2018flow\u2019; I think that\u2019s the word for it. I\u2019m not that modern, I\u2019m more old-school, but that\u2019s football these days.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThese things are part of the game, but what matters is what happens on the pitch afterwards, and he\u2019s delivering there \u2013 we can\u2019t ask for much more.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also highlighted the absence of a key supporting figure, which could affect his performance. \u201cI think Lamine misses Raphinha.\u201d<\/p>\n

Managing talent and personality<\/p>\n

The former midfielder acknowledged that handling a player like Yamal is not straightforward, especially given his age and personality.<\/p>\n

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Rakitic has also praised Hansi Flick. (Photo by Clive Rose\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

\u201cI think \u2018difficult\u2019 doesn\u2019t quite cover it, but I do think he\u2019d benefit from a captain like Puyol, Rakitic or Xavi.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not easy, though, because afterwards, when things go wrong, we blame it on his youth \u2013 and that applies to both the good and the bad.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trust in Flick and key absences<\/p>\n

Rakitic expressed confidence in Hansi Flick and his staff to guide the youngster properly.<\/p>\n

\u201cHansi and his staff surely have him well under control, but lads with that kind of talent need that joy and that peace of mind.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not a question of excusing (his behaviour) because of his youth. He needs to express himself like that, and the important thing is that he continues to give his all on the pitch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Turning back to the match itself, Rakitic admitted Atletico hold the advantage but warned against complacency.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWith the result from the first leg, have everything in their favour, although Cholo and the fans won\u2019t be at ease for a moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lastly, he also reflected on the first leg dynamics, explaining,<\/p>\n

\u201cI would have expected Atletico to push a bit harder in the closing stages of the first leg, though without taking any major risks, to score a third; and Bar\u00e7a, down to ten men, had more chances.\u201d<\/p>\n

Source: SPORT<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With Barcelona facing a defining night against Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg, the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4150,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[179,549,92,3011,938,1498,3012,1236],"class_list":{"0":"post-4149","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-barcelona","8":"tag-atletico-madrid","9":"tag-barca","10":"tag-barcelona","11":"tag-ivan-rakitic","12":"tag-lamine-yamal","13":"tag-psg","14":"tag-puyol","15":"tag-uefa-champions-league"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4149","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4149"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4149\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4150"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}