Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez said the club had “high expectations” of Lamine Yamal after the teenager inspired a 4-3 win over Villarreal on Sunday.
Lamine Yamal played a role in Gavi’s opening goal and hit the post twice, the second time leading to Robert Lewandowski scoring the winner.
“Of course I was surprised by what he did at his age, he is only 16 years old,” said Xavi when asked about Yamal after the match. “Everyone – I am no exception. He almost always makes the best decisions, that’s what makes the difference in football.
“We have big expectations, even more so when you look at what you see [on the pitch]. He didn’t start the game on a whim. He started because we felt he could have an impact on the game.
“As I said, he almost always makes the right decisions, the important thing is, choosing the best option. Two assists today, he’s smart, mature. He’s amazing.”
Yamal became the youngest player to play for Barca in La Liga when he made his debut aged 15 against Real Betis in April and he secured a place in the first team throughout the summer.
He came off the bench in the goalless draw with Getafe in the first week of the season and started the last two games following Raphinha’s suspension, the 2-0 win over Cadiz and Sunday’s win at Villarreal, when he was named player of the match.
This caused a lot of media attention to be focused on Yamal, but Xavi said he would be able to overcome it.
“I don’t think there will be any problem managing things considering the circumstances and his personality,” he added.
“He is a wonderful kid, very humble, hard worker, loves football… I don’t see any problem. There is a lot of competition at Barca, of course, but he is ready to play.”
Yamal’s performance sparked calls to include him in Spain’s next squad, which will be announced later this week.
Born in Spain, he has represented his country at a young age but he is also eligible to represent Morocco and Equatorial Guinea from his parents.
“It was a personal decision,” said Xavi when asked about his international future. “I would like him to play for Spain, of course, but that is his personal decision.
“He hasn’t said anything to me about what he will do. I honestly don’t know. I hope he spends many years here with Barca because he is a player who can mark an era.”
