Lamine Yamal talks Raphinha, Szczesny, Pena, Pedri, potential Clasico UCL final | OneFootball

Ahead of Barcelona’s return from the international break, teenage sensation Lamine Yamal sat down for an exclusive interview with beIN SPORTS.

During the chat, the Blaugrana wonderkid discussed a plethora of topics ranging from the pressure he faces on the field to the possibility of facing Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League final.

Kicking things off, Lamine spoke about how things go for him during the month of Ramadan, saying:

“During this month we gather for iftar with my grandmother, it’s a special month for the family. We always gather in peace and quiet. I train in the morning and then go home like a normal day,” he said.

The young attacker then reflected on Barça’s season so far, claiming that they are enjoying playing in 2025.

“The end of last year was not good, we lost the lead and a lot of points, but this year we have started differently and we are having a lot of fun and winning a lot of games and we want to continue this level and the lead,” he remarked.

Talking about how he faces the pressure and criticism, especially with the media calling him out over his lack of goals in recent times, Yamal said:

“I’m going step by step and I want to improve my numbers, develop my career and keep winning.”

“Here in Spain, you know how things are and how the press is, but I just focus on myself and my performance, we players only react on the pitch, but I always have fun with my teammates,” he added.

Lamine was full of praise for his attacking partner, Raphinha, saying: “I’m happy to have Raphinha on my side, his mentality has improved tremendously, he’s always been an excellent player and he just had to prove it, I’m very happy for him.”

The deadly duo. (Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images)

The youngster also commented on the goalkeeping situation at Barcelona, as he said:

“Szczesny has settled in well and is always ready for the toughest games, we are happy to have him with Inaki Pena.”

Talking about the upcoming UEFA Champions League quarter-final clash against Borussia Dortmund, the La Masia graduate stated:

“Dortmund are a difficult team at home, but we beat them in the first round, it won’t be easy and at home we’ll give it our all.”

On the possibility of facing Real Madrid in the finals of the Champions League, Lamine gave a brilliant response, saying:

“If you want to win the Champions League, you don’t care about the opposition, whether it’s Real Madrid or anyone else. You want to win for the club and the fans. We’re ready to face Real Madrid anyway.”

Lamine was then asked a series of quickfire questions which drew some very interesting responses.

On being asked to pick the most talented player in the Barcelona squad, Lamine replied: “Me and Pedri.”

When asked to name the player who arrives the earliest for training, the winger replied: “Inaki Pena”. Interestingly, the 26-year-old goalkeeper was also named the calmest player in the squad.

Meanwhile, on being asked to reveal the Barcelona player who is the last to arrive for training, Lamine said: “Jules Kounde.”

The 17-year-old also named the Frenchman as the player who gets along with the most on the field, while selecting Gavi as the most entertaining teammate.