Barcelona midfielder Gavi has heaped praise on teammate Lamine Yamal, declaring him the “best player in the world after Lionel Messi” following the teenager’s dazzling performance in Wednesday’s 5-1 Copa del Rey victory over Real Betis.
Yamal, 17, was instrumental in Barcelona’s emphatic win, scoring one goal, providing two assists, and having another goal ruled out for offside. He has now been involved in 22 goals (nine goals, 13 assists) in just 24 appearances this season.
“Yes, he is,” Gavi told reporters when asked if Yamal is already the best player in the game. “Well, after Lionel Messi, he’s the best.”
Yamal’s remarkable talent has been evident throughout his young career. He led Spain to European Championship glory last summer and finished eighth in the Ballon d’Or rankings, also claiming the Kopa Trophy and Golden Boy award for the best young player in the world.
Against Betis, Yamal showcased his full repertoire of skills. He provided a sublime assist for Jules Koundé’s goal, set up another that was ruled out for offside, and then embarked on a mesmerizing solo run that led to Raphinha’s goal. He eventually got on the scoresheet himself, finishing off a swift counter-attack.2
Flick’s Praise and Focus on La Liga
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick echoed Gavi’s sentiments, praising Yamal’s talent and acknowledging the need to nurture his development.
“You know, Gavi’s very emotional, so I say yes as well,” Flick said. “You can see it. I think in great matches you see big talent and he’s showed it many times. He’s on a really good way. But we have to take care about him.”
After a disappointing end to 2024, Barcelona have started the new year with four consecutive victories, including a 5-2 thrashing of Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final.3 Flick is now keen for his team to carry that momentum into La Liga, where they currently trail leaders Atlético Madrid by six points.
“For us, today was very important after the big win against Real Madrid,” Flick said. “It was very good to see how all the team come back because we travel [back from Saudi Arabia] and we train only yesterday. So it’s good to see this, how we play today, the performance from the beginning. We controlled the game and this is really great to see how they do. The big goal [is to play like this in LaLiga]. We are looking match to match, of course Saturday is the next one against Getafe. We want to play and be ready for that and win.”
With Yamal leading the charge, Barcelona will be hoping to close the gap on their rivals and challenge for the La Liga title. Gavi
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