Barcelona: "We're very happy that he's at this level"- Barcelona boss Hansi Flick offers Lamine Yamal career advice to be like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

Hansi Flick has urged Barcelona's Lamine Yamal to remain calm and work hard if he wants to get to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's level. The Blaugrana manager also took the opportunity to express his delight with the Spaniard's progression.

In a press briefing ahead of their La Liga trip to Valladolid, Flick offered useful career advice to Yamal. He said (via Mundo Deportivo on X):

"When you want to reach this level, like Ronaldo, like Messi... you have to stay calm. We're very happy that he's at this level, but we know he has to work hard. He wants that too."

Yamal has been at the forefront of Barcelona's transformative trajectory in the ongoing calendar year. He's been breaking defensive lines and racking up significant number in attack.

The teenager has thrived the most when evaluated based on his playmaking in the final third. He has made 24 assists and bagged 15 goals in 49 games across distinct competitions this season.

At 17, the Spaniard has also headlined numerous big games where a good number of talented youngsters struggle to make an impact. Having scored in Barca's 3-3 first-leg draw versus Inter earlier this week, Yamal became the youngest player to score in a UCL semifinal, aged 17 and 291 days.

If he remains persistent, the footballing world could witness the dawn of another great player who could follow in the footsteps of La Pulga and CR7.

"I don't have any intention beyond this" - Barcelona's manager on Marc-André ter Stegen’s return

FC Barcelona v FC Internazionale Milano - UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Semi Final First Leg - Source: Getty

Hansi Flick also revealed that Marc-Andre ter Stegen could make a return to the starting XI against Valladolid in the LaLiga on Saturday, May 3. Meanwhile, the German manager claimed that he might not alter the goalkeeping pecking order after Barca's next game.

In the same press conference as mentioned above, he said (via Mundo Deportivo):

"I don't have any intention beyond this, I'm not thinking about changing anything else for the end of the season, just the Valladolid game, which is for Marc and then we'll see what happens. I'm not thinking about changing that, for the moment."

Ter Stegen has only featured seven times for Barca this season due to knee injury. In his absence, Wojciech Szczesny has registered 26 appearances, keeping 13 clean sheets in the process.

About the author

Abel is an European football journalist who focuses primarily on analysis pieces and preview copies at Sportskeeda. A B.Sc degree holder in Economics, he has a previous work experience of 3 years – a year at Opera News Hub where he was promoted as a 'Verified Sports Writer,’ and over two years at Sportskeeda as a revenue-share writer, where his writing skills have ultimately led him to be integrated into the in-house team.

A Manchester United fan who grew up in a family of Red Devils supporters, he started his journey as an ardent football fan in his childhood. He used to spend hours watching the sport with his family and developed a knack for writing about the beautiful game over the years.

He is a huge admirer of Paul Pogba owing to the midfielder's ability to thread passes from anywhere on the pitch and his favorite manager is Jose Mourinho due to the Portuguese's tactical mind. He feels France's triumph in 2018 is his all-time favorite World Cup moment, and reckons Lamine Yamal and Endrick could replicate the rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Abel always strives to verify information, especially statistics, before penning a word and offers constructive but not defamatory criticisms. Apart from Europe's top five leagues, he follows the Eredivisie and the Primeira Liga. He loves to spend his free time playing video games like EA FC and watching movies.

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Edited by Sudeshna Banerjee