The name of FC Barcelona’s wonderkid Lamine Yamal is on the tip of everyone’s tongue right now, as a breakout season with the Spanish giants followed with a starring role in Spain’s winning 2024 European Championship campaign, while also celebrating the win for his 17th birthday is an achievement that is utterly remarkable by every measure. So it is perhaps not that surprising that an interview between Bayern Munich player Serge Gnabry and Süddeutsche Zeitung, as captured by @iMiaSanMia, turned from talk of the European Championship to arguably its most talked about (and arguably most outstanding) performer. Gnabry had this to say about Yamal’s achievements:
“It’s unbelievable. You can usually tell that 17-year-olds are talented, but they’re still only 17. But the way Yamal played at the Euros, on the biggest stage: that was impressive. When I was 16 or 17, I could already do a lot of things quite well for my age, but I showed that at Arsenal in the U-18 or U-19 teams, not with the pros. So: huge respect.”
Gnabry sums it up well. Yamal’s age is not just an eye catching number for a player who is already so good, but an indicator that he is playing at least five, six, seven years above his level. He is certainly a player to keep an eye on in the coming years.
Looking for more thoughts on why Bayern Munich might have lost out on its pursuit of Xavi Simons — and what we learned from it? What about some talk on how fans should be feeling at this point of the preseason? Good, then we have you covered with the latest edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show. You can get the podcast on Patreon, Spotify, or below: