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Yamal first saw Neymar when he was at the age of five while both the superstars were at Barcelona.
Lamine Yamal. (AP Photo)
Lamine Yamal has recognised former Barcelona star Neymar Jr as his idol. The Spanish youngster, in a recent interview, revealed he was hugely influenced by Neymar during his childhood. Yamal joined the La Masia Academy in 2014. In the next year, the iconic “MSN” trio of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar helped Barcelona win the Champions League title.
As shared by Yamal, he first saw Neymar at the age of five. The Brazilian forward was then playing for Santos in his homeland. Yamal finally got the opportunity to meet Neymar at Camp Nou during his early days at Barcelona’s youth setup.
“I was seven years old when I saw him in person at FC Barcelona at the Camp Nou. It was incredible to see him. Yes, it’s true that Messi was there who was also incredible, but he was something totally different. Neymar has always been my idol. He’s a star, a football legend,” Yamal told CNN Sport after winning the Emerging Player Award at the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai.
Neymar represented Santos in 230 games before shifting his base to Europe. He signed a five-year deal with Barcelona in the summer of 2013. During his time at the Catalan club, Neymar struck 150 goals in 186 matches. He moved to Paris Saint Germain in 2017 after sharing eight trophies with Messi and Suarez.
Yamal also spoke about his love for Barcelona during an interaction with CNN Sport. The teenager who made his senior team debut last year expects to sign a new contract soon. “Barca is the club of my life. I hope to renew my contract with them and to be with them as long as possible. I want to play in the Spanish league and yes, I will renew my contract,” he said.
Having recovered from an ankle injury, Yamal returned to action in the recent Spanish Super Cup semi-final against Athletic Club. He scored the second goal of the match taking Barcelona to a 2-0 win. Gavi broke the deadlock for the Catalan giants early in the first half. Barcelona will meet their arch-rivals Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final on January 13.
- Location :
Barcelona, Spain