Hansi Flick has made a stunning statement about Lamine Yamal, suggesting that the teenager has already reached the summit of world football.
Following Barcelona’s convincing 5-2 victory over Real Betis, the German manager was left hugely impressed by the young star’s decisive contribution.
Flick had nothing but praise for Lamine Yamal after his outstanding performance in the 5-2 win over Real Betis at La Cartuja. The German coach, who has witnessed plenty of world-class talent during his time at Bayern Munich and with the Germany national team, suggested that the 19-year-old has already surpassed his peers to become one of football’s leading figures.
Flick’s comments came after Yamal spearheaded a dominant attacking display, helping Barcelona maintain their strong position at the top of the La Liga table.
“When you see the first goal he scored, it’s unbelievable. At the moment, he is the best player in the world,” Flick told reporters at his post-match press conference.
“I’m very happy with his performance, and that’s what I want to say. Of course, he is under pressure. He is 19 years old and has played in every match, but he is 100 per cent focused and committed. He is very good, his performance was outstanding, and so was his attitude. That’s what great players are like,” he added.
“With the scoreline as it was, we had to substitute him, and that was clear. I told him that I was very proud of him because he had played a fantastic game,” the manager continued.
Although the atmosphere in the Barcelona camp was positive following the high-scoring victory, Flick is facing a growing injury crisis in defence.
Eric Garcia and Gerard Martin were both forced off during the match due to physical problems, leaving the manager concerned about his available options for the upcoming European fixture.
“At the moment, the most important thing is recovery. Recovery is very important, and we need to see how we manage the minutes on Tuesday. We’ll see; we need to find 11 players. We don’t know what will happen with Eric, Kounde has some minor problems, and Gerard does too. We’ll have to wait and see. We still have two days, and we’ll see what happens on Tuesday. We need to wait for the medical results,” Flick explained.
The Barcelona manager specifically mentioned that Garcia believed his injury was only a minor knock, but stressed that caution remains the priority as the team awaits further medical assessments.