Barcelona's rising star Lamine Yamal has been making headlines since his senior debut in April 2023 at age 15, breaking records and collecting prestigious awards including the Golden Boy and Kopa Trophy. However, a recent revelation by former teammate Ilkay Gundogan sheds light on an unusual incident that demonstrates both the young player's importance to the team and the unique challenges of managing a teenage prodigy.
During a high-stakes Champions League match against Porto, with Barcelona holding a precarious 1-0 lead, the team found themselves in an unexpected predicament around the 60-minute mark.
"We suddenly started to suffer. I felt that the opposing team became much better as if they had an extra player," Gundogan recounted. "After 10 minutes I found out that one of our players left the field and went to the bathroom! It was Lamine."
The incident highlighted the coaching staff's extraordinary confidence in Yamal's abilities. Rather than making an immediate substitution, they chose to temporarily play with 10 men, awaiting the young star's return.
"Lamine was an important player so the technical staff did not want to replace him immediately, so they were waiting for him to return," Gundogan explained. "When I found out, I said, 'Guys, what's going on? We're playing with 10 men! Don't you want to make a substitution?'"
The situation ultimately forced the coaching staff's hand when Yamal's bathroom break extended longer than expected, necessitating a substitution. The young phenom's next challenge lies in the Spanish Super Cup final against arch-rivals Real Madrid, where he'll aim to continue his meteoric rise in Spanish football. Meanwhile, Gundogan has since moved on to Manchester City, carrying with him this memorable tale of Barcelona's emerging superstar.
