Barcelona star Lamine Yamal sent a message to former Real Madrid midfielder Rafael van der Vaart on Sunday after scoring against the Netherlands in the UEFA Nations League. The former footballer has now responded and asked him not to think too much about the opinions coming from the sidelines.
Speaking on Ziggo Sports, Van der Vaart stated that he is worried about Yamal’s mannerisms but knows that the Barcelona star is highly talented. The former Real Madrid star added that the teenager should not think the world revolves around him and said via Barca Blaugranes:
“This goal was really out of the ordinary. A world goal, a world player. Still, I would advise him not to worry so much about a former player who is a bit too fat and says something about him. That is completely unimportant. He is 17. He is so good, but I am a bit annoyed by his mannerisms and I mean that well. When you get so much praise as a 17-year-old, you also start to believe that the whole world revolves around you.”
“I actually just wanted to say that, yes, well you know, we played football in Spain. And then people get angry, let them be angry. My family is half Spanish, they all live there, and the bomb exploded. I was not aware of any wrongdoing. I just said, ‘I see mannerisms that I don’t really want to see’, but I don’t think I think he’s super bad. I think he’s a great player. He just has to keep his feet on the ground.”
Lamine Yamal scored a goal in normal time against The Netherlands but missed his penalty in the shootout. After the win, the Spaniard took aim at the former footballer with a post on Instagram.
What did former Real Madrid star say about Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal?
Former Real Madrid star Rafael van der Vaart took a cheeky dig at Lamine Yamal last week and claimed that the Barcelona youngster was not doing well against Jorrel Hato. He added that the teenager has started to bother him with his style and said via Barca Blaugranes:
“It seemed like Yamal didn’t take well to facing Hato. These are things I notice: I see things that start to bother me a little. Shorts a little lower, not putting in much effort, slightly superficial gestures…”
The former Real Madrid midfielder told the Barcelona teenager that he had to prove himself on the pitch every time he got the chance, regardless of how good he had been in the previous matches.
Edited by Vaishnavi Iyer
