“I hope to be remembered as a Barcelona legend”

Lamine Yamal faces his second ‘Clasico’ at the Santiago Bernabeu. Already an established star, he wants to make his mark in the Barcelona shirt.

He can’t vote yet but he is already a world star. Lamine Yamal faces his first ‘Clasico’ on Saturday as a Barcelona star, the fourth since his debut and the second at the Santiago Bernabeu. Much has changed in his life in just a few months, as he has gone from being a youth player to an emerging star.

The winger is looking forward to facing Real Madrid at their home ground, the Bernabeu. “It’s true that there’s Barca-Espanyol or Atletico-Real Madrid, but Barca-Madrid is special for everyone, no matter the category or the sport,” he said in an interview released by the club itself.

“The rivalry is from a young age and you really want to win. Since Monday you’ve been thinking about the game, although it’s true that this week there have been two very important games, but ‘El Clasico’ is ‘El Clasico’ and we all want to win it,” he said.

At 17, Lamine Yamal has already become one of the stars of the squad, but he is aiming much higher: “I hope to stay here all my life and be remembered as a legend in Barca’s history.

“I’ve been here since I was 6 years old and I’ve dreamed of winning titles. When I receive the ball, the fans scream a lot and I have a feeling I’ve never had before. It’s as if my mother was in front of me and told me to go for the opposition. It’s a feeling I can’t describe, but it’s incredible,” he said.

This will be the fourth ‘Clasico’ for Lamine Yamal, who recalled the first one in Montjuic: “I’ve never been nervous in a match before, but when I enter the pitch and I see the faces of the opponents… I see that they are very good. I was a bit nervous, but then I forgot about everything and just enjoyed myself. You can see the quality in these matches, it’s decided by details. In the second leg I was already more established and I was already me.

“They’ve accepted us youngsters very well and that’s appreciated,” he said of the welcome given to the veterans in the dressing room. “It’s true that we are kids, but we like to be treated like adults. We play football and there is no age for that,” said Lamine Yamal.