Barcelona president Joan Laporta has praised Lamine Yamal’s maturity and is confident the teenage winger can handle his rise to superstardom, and won’t be sidetracked by the pitfalls that come with it.
Yamal is currently sidelined with a groin injury that flared up again during the Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain and has been ruled out for up to three weeks.
It is a good opportunity for the 18-year-old to get some much-needed rest with the hope he can be fit in time for the season’s first Clasico against Real Madrid on October 26.
Yamal has had to contend with the kind of personal scrutiny that comes with being a global star – and has not always got it right, attracting unwanted attention over the summer after he reportedly went on holiday with an OnlyFans model 12 years his senior while his 18th birthday party featured the use of dwarves as entertainment.
Barcelona have to support Lamine Yamal – Laporta
Laporta told El Chiringuito: “You have to support him and give him the best advice.
“But he is already much more mature than a young man of his age thanks to what he has experienced. This celebrity can overwhelm him, but he manages it very well.”
Laporta admits Yamal will make mistakes but has praised his work ethic as he battles to get fit as quickly as possible.
“He is 18 years old, he trains every day. He is disciplined despite his groin pain and scrupulously follows the club’s instructions to progress,” added Laporta. “He must be protected.
“He will make mistakes like everyone else, and maybe more, because he is so young. He is a young man who is loved.”
