Spain boss Luis de la Fuente admits that people “don’t know the real Lamine Yamal” and says the Barcelona teenager is a “fantastic team player” who makes his team-mates’ lives easier.
De la Fuente says criticism of Yamal’s ego is unfair and revealed how he looks up to the older players in the Spain squad.
“I can tell you, people do not know the real Lamine Yamal. He is a fantastic team player. A diligent team-mate and a guy who makes living around him extremely easy,” he told The Athletic.
“People talking
about his ego? I don’t understand the negative connotation of the word ‘ego’. We all have an ego. As long as you put that ambition into the team’s collective goal, ego is a spectacular thing to have. Everybody in this team has that collective mindset.
“This is the true secret: to select the right profile of a player to then create a family. At Euro 2024, you could see Jesus Navas, who was 38, playing video games and having a laugh with Lamine. Now, Oyarzabal (29) is a player who Yamal really listens to and looks up to.”
De la Fuente also spoke about the World Cup and says the 19-year-old Barcelona star will have benefited from the whole experience.
“Even without being at his peak level of excellence, Yamal added so many things to the team,” De la Fuente says.
“The World Cup did him good. This has made him a better player, team-mate and person. Now he knows that, even if he is not brilliant, he can help the group, too. That really is a leap of quality in his growing process. There is still a lot to do for him, because Lamine has all the goods to be world-class for years.
“When I select players, I don’t just look at the footballer. I look at the person. I’ve known some of our players for 15 years, and if they are here it is because they fit into our philosophy of turning this into a family. If you don’t fit into this, you’re out.”
Spain are back in action for the first time since the World Cup later today when they take on England in the Nations League at Wembley.
