Lamine Yamal has come under fire from Real Madrid cult legend Guti for what he did at his press conference prior to the Nations League final. After winning and playing a key part in Barcelona’s historic treble of the Spanish Super Cup, Copa del Rey, and La Liga, the teenage star was looking to add a fourth trophy to his season total.
He is among the front-runners for the Ballon d’Or thanks to his 18 goals and 25 assists under Hansi Flick, but he was unable to maintain his incredible play on Sunday night as Nuno Mendes both scored and stopped him, assisting Portugal in winning their second Nations League championship. After taking two leads, Roberto Martinez’s team had to rely on penalties to defeat the European champions, which was well-earned.
Much has been written about Yamal since then. Insisting that the 17-year-old will be the best of the next generation, Cristiano Ronaldo has urged patience with him. However, video surfaced showing Yamal walking straight down the tunnel without cheering his rivals during the title celebrations. Guti has now focused on one more aspect of the activity from the weekend to critique.
Guti Slams Lamine Yamal For Unprofessional Press Conference
The former Real Madrid midfielder wasn’t happy with the way he dressed
His sense of style was arguably the last thing anyone anticipated from Barcelona’s wonderkid, out of all the things that could have agitated Guti. On Spanish TV on Monday night, however, the retired midfielder did precisely that, criticizing Yamal for wearing his cap backwards during his pregame interview. Watch his entire tirade below:
“Both the club and the national team are affected by this. Call me ancient, but I don’t like wearing club or national team shirts, even though you can wear whatever you choose in life.
“I’ve never seen a man wear his cap backwards before, but I’m not sure. At a news conference, I dislike it. Those around Lamine Yamal who haven’t trained him are to blame, not him.
This week’s criticism of Yamal is not the first time that Guti, a frequent commentator on El Chiringuito de Jugones, has attacked the teenager. He compared the winger to Vinicius Jr. and Kylian Mbappe back in April, not because of skill or experience, but because he thought Yamal was never reliable enough in the important games.
Although he admitted at the time that Yamal was only in his second season as a professional football player, his remarks now seem foreboding given the young player’s silence during the Nations League final. Yamal, according to Guti, “is a TOP player,” but he is not “the best” at the moment since “being the best is every matchday, and every matchday he is not.”
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