Former Barca star blames Yamal for making Real Madrid 'lose their temper'

After the loss to Real Madrid, Barcelona's talent Lamine Yamal is receiving a lot of negative feedback.

The recent El Clasico at the Bernabeu was heated not only in the stands but also sparked controversy after Real Madrid beat Barcelona 2-1, extending their lead to 5 points at the top of La Liga. The main target of criticism was not coach Hansi Flick or Barca’s defense, but rather 18-year-old prodigy Lamine Yamal from the Catalan club.

Ahead of the Superclásico, Yamal stirred controversy with his comments on the Twitch platform: “Yes, of course, they (Real Madrid) cheat, they keep complaining...”

These remarks quickly spread and angered not only Real Madrid fans but also caused many former Barca players to shake their heads. Among them, ex-Blaugrana midfielder Rafinha Alcantara said Yamal made “a big mistake due to immaturity”:

“He is at fault because of his youth and lack of maturity. Those words motivated Real Madrid even more.”

Former Real star Guti agreed, emphasizing that Yamal “is too young to grasp the history and sensitivity of the Real-Barca rivalry.”

On the pitch, Yamal was closely marked by Real players. He failed to make any impact during the 90 minutes, while Mbappe and Bellingham scored the goals that secured Real’s 2-1 victory. Even though Mbappe missed a penalty, it didn’t affect the final result.

Real midfielder Tchouameni admitted after the match that Yamal’s words “fired up” the Bernabeu side: “No hard feelings, but comments like that boost our spirit. It gives us a psychological edge.”

After the game, several of Yamal’s teammates spoke out in his defense. Frenkie de Jong insisted the media misunderstood Yamal’s intent:

“Lamine never said Real cheated. If Carvajal wants to talk to him, he can do it in the dressing room, not by creating tension on the field.”

Center-back Ronald Araujo also stood up for him: “He is a true professional who knows what he is doing. The whole team trusts Yamal.”

Despite the bitter loss to Real causing Barca to fall behind in the title race, the club’s internal circle remains confident in the “gem” born in 2007, who is seen as the club’s long-term future.

For Yamal, the lesson from this Superclásico could be a valuable first stumble, where he realizes that at the highest level, sometimes just one comment can change the course of a match.