Another Barcelona star jumps to defence of Lamine Yamal | OneFootball

Barcelona star Alejandro Balde has this week moved to launch a defence of teammate and close friend Lamine Yamal.

This comes amid the ongoing media scrutiny surrounding the 18-year-old.

Wide-man Lamine has of course seen his name continue to dominate the headlines across Spain and beyond over recent weeks.

First, as much came owing to a controversial round of comments leading into El Clásico.

This was then followed by widespread coverage of his breakup with girlfriend and popstar Nicki Nicole.

Lamine for his part responded on the pitch on Sunday, opening the scoring en route to Barcelona putting Elche to the sword by three goals to one.

Speaking to the press post-match at Montjuïc, the aforementioned Alejandro Balde was therefore drawn on the constant chatter surrounding his compatriot’s name.

And the defender made use of the opportunity to defend Lamine, highlighting the youngster’s hard work and personality:

“It is true that he is always in the spotlight. I think he’s a great professional, despite being very young. And I think what he’s doing is incredible. Sometimes people don’t value him, but what he’s doing at 18 can’t be described in words.

“He is showing a huge personality, he works every day to improve and today it has shown. He has a special talent and he is taking advantage of it.”

Conor Laird – GSFN