Barcelona wonderkid speaks after first international call-up: “Want to win everything”

Lamine Yamal became the youngest Barcelona player to start three consecutive games after his start against Osasuna at El Sadar.

The youngster was far from his impressive and electric best on the night, but Xavi’s selection showed that he valued the La Masia star over experienced options like Raphinha and Ferran Torres.

Yamal’s high-level performances this season have not gone unnoticed outside Barcelona as Spanish National Team manager Luis de La Fuente called him up for the upcoming EURO qualifiers this month.

Here are the excerpts from Yamal’s recent interview with the media of the Spanish National Team about his call-up, origins and ambitions.

The young sensation first spoke about the advice his compatriots at the club level gave him over his call-up for the Spanish National team.

“I always talk to Balde and he tells me to enjoy myself, not to be afraid, to go for it. Gavi is the same, he tells me to go without fear. And Pedri more of the same, they help me a lot,” he said.

As a Moroccan-born player, Yamal had the difficult choice to choose between representing the country of his birth or Spain at the international level. Speaking about his decision and why he opted for La Roja, he said:

“I’ve always played for Spain, since the U-15 team. I’ve always been clear about this, I want to play for Spain.”

The 16-year-old then opened up about his ambitions with the National Team and the various competitions he hoped to win on the international stage.

“I want to win the EURO, the World Cup and everything with Spain.”

Yamal was then asked to express his feelings over receiving the call-up to play for the senior Spanish team at such a young age, to which he said:

“It’s incredible that I’m living this, I want to enjoy it to the fullest. I’m calm, I’m used to this at Barcelona so let’s see how things go here.”

Finally, the teenage sensation revealed his idol from the current La Roja setup. As a true attacking winger, he chose a player of a similar profile, albeit a former Real Madrid star.

“There are many great players here, but I have been following Marco Asensio since he joined the National Team for the first time.”

Elaborating on what he can bring to the national team setup, Yamal added: “Youth and joy. And on the field, verticality and self-confidence”.