This marks the first trophy of Portugal manager Roberto Martinez’s international career, after failing to win anything with Belgium’s so-called golden generation. The 2013 FA Cup with Wigan was his last piece of silverware – so could the Nations League save his job? Balague said: “The rumour [that he will be sacked] has come from...
While Yamal has achieved more than Ronaldo as a teenager, he will do well to match the Portugal captain’s longevity. At the age of 40, Ronaldo is still prolific for country and club, albeit in the lesser league of Saudi Arabia. He is expected to sign a new deal with Al-Nassr this summer. His winner...
Spain and France played out a Nations League semi-final game for the ages with a scoreline that looks like it belongs in a penalty shootout. The 5-4 win for Spain has everyone wondering if anyone can stop these attackers – although the less said about the defenders, the better. Spain, who play Portugal in Sunday’s...
Dembele delivering the season he has had would have been unthinkable even seven months ago, and winning the Ballon d’Or would complete one of football’s greatest revivals. This season has already resulted in the 28-year-old being named the Champions League’s player of the season and the Ligue 1 Golden Boot winner. His career looked destined...
Barcelona sporting director Deco denies the club have financial problems and says they do not need to sell players – despite La Liga’s restrictive financial controls. Deco, 47, has overseen a revival of Barcelona since his appointment in 2023, culminating in a domestic treble while also reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League. The Catalans...
“Yamal’s renewal is a demonstration of the solidity of Barca’s project. His emergence on to the world football scene is like few others,” the club said. “The lad from Mataro near Barcelona has exploded on to the stage that is world football with performances that are already part of Barcelona history.” Yamal has scored 25...
When former Bayern Munich and Germany boss Flick arrived at Barcelona, he found a number of players were performing well below expectations. Experienced stars like Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Frenkie de Jong were low in confidence, simply because of the lack of trust they felt they had from their previous coach, Xavi. Raphinha would rarely...
There are portraits that precede greatness, snapshots of youthful genius. The boy with the indie-band bangs celebrating on Ronaldinho’s back, the bleach-blonde teen with blaugrana braces leaving a trail of Inter defenders in his wake. Almost exactly 20 years separated Lionel Messi’s first goal for Barcelona and Lamine Yamal’s sensational Champions League semi-final strike on...
Teenage Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal said he would not compare himself to Lionel Messi – and then put in a performance a 17-year-old Messi could only have dreamed of in one of the all-time great Champions League semi-final ties. It led to him being called “a genius”, “a cheat code” and “a phenomenal talent”. Barca...
BBC Sport’s Stephen Warnock says 17-year-old Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal is a future Ballon d’Or winner after his “outrageous” performance against Inter Milan in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie. WATCH MORE: Champions League highlights – Barcelona 3-3 Inter Milan Available to UK users only. Read full article at source...
The Barcelona attack will feature Yamal, 17, on the right flank, the position played by Messi for the Spanish side with distinction for years. However Yamal, speaking at a media conference on Tuesday, rejected comparisons with his fellow graduate of the club’s La Masia academy. “I don’t compare myself to him, because I don’t compare...
BBC Sport looks at the rise of Barcelona’s superstar winger Lamine Yamal from his humble beginnings at La Masia to being seen as the next Lionel Messi. Read full article at source...