In only a few months, Lamine Yamal went from being a child to a global football star. Three months ago, he was another Barca gem, but his outstanding performance at the EURO 2024 at only 16 (he turned 17 a day before the final) already made him a superstar.As a reward for his excellent form, Yamal was named one of the 30 nominees for the Ballon d’Or. In an interview with L’Equipe, the youngster touched on how he learned to dribble, what his first day with the senior team was like, and his idol, among other things.🎙️LAMINE YAMAL:“I used to go to my friend’s house because he had a computer & I would use it to watch videos of Neymar for long periods of time. Then when I would get home, I would try to imitate the skills he did in my room.” 🇧🇷🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/ToRvpfAfcN— Ginga Bonito 🇧🇷 (@GingaBonitoHub) September 5, 2024 First, he spoke about his beginnings – La Torreta and La Masia.”I always had my ball with me. I remember I would carry it in a bag to school and I would kick it around until I got to class. When I got to class I would hide it in my backpack because the teacher wouldn’t let me leave it on the table. When I came from La Torreta, it’s true that I had that one-on-one, that verticality and everything, but I didn’t have control over myself. Knowing when to play fast or when to play slow, being able to play as a team… all those things that in the end you do at Barca, which is the club that best knows how to use its players for that,” said Yamal as per Mundo Deportivo.Yamal not worried about comparisons to Messi: “This means you’re doing right”What immediately catches the eye when people watch him is that he is not afraid in the least of much stronger and more experienced opponents.”In the end I always played with my friends and the opposing teams were 20 years old and I was 11 or 12. So that took away a lot of my fear and allowed me to enjoy and play against anyone. All this makes you grow even if you think it doesn’t help you. It always helps you because when you see someone bigger than you, you know how to go for him and dribble past him so that he can’t hit you,” the 17-year-old revealed.Lamine Yamal: “When I was little I used to play football against dogs. My father encouraged me that they were not going to bite. I think playing against dogs is more difficult.” pic.twitter.com/Hsb1w0NkKC— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) September 5, 2024 For the aforementioned dribbles, the winger disclosed an extremely peculiar “training technique” that helped him improve his skills. Namely, he used to play football – with his dogs?!”I used to play with them a lot because my father said they wouldn’t bite me. Playing against a dog is the hardest thing you can do,” Yamal claimed.The first day at Barcelona’s senior team locker room was the day the Spaniard would never forget.”I was embarrassed to go into the dressing room because there was Jordi (Alba), Pique… there was Pjanic,” he recalled.##NAJAVA_MECA_8318872##As for his role models, among numerous names, Barca’s gem still highlighted one name – Neymar.”At that moment I remember that Neymar was at Santos, Messi obviously… Messi, Villa, Pedro… All from Barca. Those are the first images that made me see football. Since I was little, with my father and my mother at home, that’s the first thing I remember. We would meet after school at a friend’s house because he had a computer and we would put on videos of Neymar. We would spend the whole afternoon watching there. Then I would go to sleep at my house and I would do it at home, in my room,” Yamal said.
