Athletic Club forward reveals Lamine Yamal impressed him before Barcelona breakthrough | OneFootball

At only 19 years of age, Lamine Yamal has already made himself one of the faces of global football. He has particularly endeared himself to the FC Barcelona fanbase, but even the neutrals love his playing style characterized by a lot of twists and turns, speed, great passing, improving finishing, and above all, the courage to take on defenders, even those who are vastly more developed and experienced than him.

These characteristics have also made him one of the leading candidates for the Ballon d’Or this year, and the forward himself has pointed to his entertaining playing style as one of his main arguments for winning the top individual prize in European football.

Although most of the spectators have had the chance to see his great playing ability only in the last few years, it is clear that Yamal always stood out with his talent. One individual to recognize this was the Athletic Club forward Robert Navarro, who recently appeared in an interview with MARCA.

The Spaniard talked about how the young Barcelona winger used to surprise him even at La Masia:

“I’m five years older than him, and I remember seeing video compilations of him when he was in the youth academy, and he was already incredible. Then, when I was with Martín Zubimendi in Real Sociedad’s reserve team, I used to tell him that what that boy was doing was incredible.”

However, Navarro was not very sure about who deserves to win the Ballon d’Or this year:

One thing that really sets Lamine Yamal apart as a top player is that his opponents, as well as his teammates, recognize his incredible talent. Hopefully, the Barcelona winger will continue to entertain the fans with his magical play for years to come, and also help the Blaugrana club win more trophies in the process.