"My new toy"; "My son" - Barcelona's Lamine Yamal and Real Madrid star banter on social media ahead of Spain's UEFA Nations League S/F

Barcelona star Lamine Yamal and Real Madrid’s new signing Dean Huijsen have engaged in friendly banter with each other in social media ahead of Spain’s clash with France. La Roja take on Les Bleus in the semifinals of the UEFA Nations in a replay of the semifinal of the last UEFA tournament Euro 2024.

In an exchange on Instagram, Huijsen first commented :

“My son"

Before Yamal cheekily responded:

“My new toy"

Both teenagers have garnered immense acclaim for their dominant performances for their clubs last season and will compete against each other in El Classico next term. First, they will hope to guide their nation, Spain to the final of the Nations League where they hope to defend their title.

Lamine Yamal came through Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy and played a starting role in their domestic treble last season with 18 goals and 25 assists in 55 games across competitions. Huijsen spent the previous season with Bournemouth in the EPL last season before securing a move to Real Madrid this summer for a reported €59.5 million after 36 appearances for the Cherries in his sole season on the South Coast.

When Figo revealed one of the difficulties of moving from Real Madrid to Barcelona

In 2023, Former Real Madrid and Barcelona star Luis Figo explained the difficult part of moving between the two Spanish giants. Los Blancos and Blaugrana are eternal rivals with a rivalry going back decades.

Speaking during an interview at the time with The Guardian, the former Portuguese star said via GOAL:

“These days, there’s more protection. It felt like I was doing a press conference every day. That takes its toll. We were starting to tour, a new idea, there was the rivalry, the pressure, the price,"

"Not everyone likes God, how is everyone going to like me? My only concern was if something happened physically [at my Camp Nou return], some madman. But go and play football? Nah! In football there’s no reason to be scared.”

Figo’s move from Barcelona to Real Madrid went down as one of the most controversial moves in football history. While he was never physically hurt playing against his former side, he had a pig’s head thrown at him on his return to the Camp Nou with Los Blancos.

About the author

Patrick is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda covering news and transfer rumors. A Business Administration graduate with a professional experience of 10 years, one of his earliest childhood memories is watching Calabar Rovers play at the U.J. Esuene Stadium with his father, with whom, he connects with, discussing the beautiful game.

Patrick’s favorite team is Manchester United for their unparallelled legacy and success in the game. He is a big admirer of Michael Carrick and his ‘smooth’ style of play back in the days. His favorite manager is Jose Mourinho, who according to him, brought a ‘swagger’ to football with his unique managerial style. Robin van Persie’s title-winning volley against Aston Villa for the 2013 PL triumph is etched in his memory forever.

Patrick always uses trusted outlets that produce accurate, balanced and fair information, and which present multiple point of views. He believes in reporting in a holistic manner for the readers’ benefit. If he could change a football rule, he would increase the number of substitutions allowed due to the high number of games played these days, to reduce injuries and so that youngsters get to show their talent as well.

When not covering football, Patrick loves reading, writing poems and short stories, and spend time with his dog Lana.

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Edited by Vaishnavi Iyer