Barça: Lamine Yamal sets his sights on becoming "the king of football"
Lamine Yamal has set himself new targets. The Spanish prodigy is determined to reign over world football.
While he's already in the running for the 2025 Ballon d'Or, Lamine Yamal has his eyes on the 2026 edition as well. The Spaniard wants to be the overwhelming favorite for the individual accolade, leaving no room for debate. According to Mundo Deportivo this Monday, Yamal is approaching this season with sky-high ambitions.
The young Spanish sensation wants to become the "player who rules the world of football". That journey starts with a new shirt number—10—the same legendary number once worn by Lionel Messi. The La Masia prodigy also wants to find the back of the net more often, stepping up to take free-kicks and penalties.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
I'm uncomfortable discussing Arne Slot but I love one thing I see from Liverpool boss
It's the final question of the interview that brings out the broadest smile from Igor Biscan. The former Liverpool midfielder, now in charge of Qatari Stars League side Al Ahli, has mused on a range of topics from the effects of the 2022 World Cup in the region, his own coaching style and what he likes most about Arne Slot. But when the 2005 Champions League final is inevitably put to Biscan, he can't help but cast his mind back to one of the most famous nights in Anfield history. "Oh yeah! What can I say?" he tells the ECHO. "Time flies, time really flies. But the memories, they stay. READ MORE: Arne Slot faces tough Alexis Mac Allister decision as Liverpool consider more changes READ MORE: Liverpool face familiar Premier League obstacle as Florian Wirtz worries addressed "And they will always stay and it is just are not even there to dream when you start playing football. To win this trophy and to win it the way we won it, it's just unbelievable still. Even now, still, when you think about it, it is just incredible." It's two decades now since Biscan's finest hour in football. An unused substitute on the night but he played a big part in helping Rafa Benitez's side throughout their march to Istanbul, featuring in eight games across the campaign before the showpiece with AC Milan, which was won on penalties after three second-half goals in six unforgettable minutes evened the score up at the Ataturk Stadium. Now a coach in Qatar, Biscan is able to tap into the expertise of former bosses like Benitez and the man who brought him to Liverpool, Gerard Houllier, to use in his own brand of management. "It's never easy to speak about yourself, I would love to play football with a lot of energy, with the ball, take risks, build up from the back," Biscan says of his own style. "Most of my generation of coaches watched and model our philosophy of football on Pep Guardiola and similar coaches. "Spanish influence with Spanish coaches is strong here [in Qatar] and the experience from my playing days also plays a part in how I see football. So, of course, high pressing, high tempo, that is something I would love my team to do. "Sometimes you need to adapt to the players and in the end, no matter what style or football you prefer, the most important thing for any coach is to bring the best out of his players in the end. That is the most the coach can do and this is what I try to do with my players." And what might he look to take from Premier League champion Slot? The Reds boss was able to clinch the title inside his first year at Anfield having arrived in the summer of 2024 as something of a relative unknown, despite his success at Eredivisie club Feyenoord. For Biscan, there is a sense of unease in critiquing the current Liverpool head coach, but there is one particular string to Slot's bow that the Croatian would love to incorporate. He says: "I mean, to speak about someone like him, who is now one of the world's best coaches, from my perspective, I don't feel comfortable. But it is his calmness that I like, for sure. "I would say it is a very good thing for any coach. It is not easy to stay composed at such a high level and for a club like Liverpool, in the beginning, the game on Friday against Bournemouth, when everything goes nuts in the last 10 minutes, and you need to make your decisions, all of them more or less are likely to be correct. "So to come after such a big personality as Mr Klopp was and to do it this well, shows you we are talking about someone who knows their job and someone who has shown a positive personality that reflects the way his team are playing and the way he has been accepted by the people surrounding the club, the media and fans, we are talking about a high-level manager." Biscan is speaking ahead of his second season in charge of Doha-based Al Ahli. A fourth-place finish in a 12-team league last time was a respectable one and he highlights the differences between the Stars League and the bigger, more high-profile Saudi Pro League, which has invested hundreds of millions on European talent over the last two years. Biscan's squad is much more modest. He has fewer household names for European football fans but enters the new campaign with Germany international Julian Draxler, while Reds legend Roberto Firmino now also plies his trade in Qatar, having recently switched to champions Al Sadd. "Of course, when you compare the leagues [Qatar to Saudi], you have to compare the countries as well and Saudi Arabia is a massive country, you know, much bigger than Qatar," Biscan says. "Then you can compare the tactics or the strategy, I would say, of getting these leagues on a higher level. One of the major differences is Qatar already had a World Cup, so maybe people thought it would peak around the World Cup and it is interesting to see how it will continue after the World Cup. "Saudi Arabia, I would say, is just at the beginning but it is really, really strong. Now it is there to be seen if they are going to continue like this or slow down. It is not easy to continue at this level of investing and bringing in all these big stars. "Saudi is on another level to the other leagues here in the Gulf region and also bigger, wider regions. Qatar is also, I would say, doing a really clever job in bringing in big names but also trying to develop the league with younger players. "Each team has two players who are preparing to become national players and it has been a long story of them developing young players in their academies for a stronger national team one day. "So the leagues are similar in ways but also different in some. Long-term, they are trying to establish something that maintains for a longer period of time. It is very difficult to predict how Saudi will go but after the World Cup. The 47-year-old adds: "I mean, all the people who came to Doha to watch a World Cup in 2022, they might have an impression or experienced this country and this place like myself and back then I can say my experience was a very positive one. "I was just a visitor, I was not working or living here but the lifestyle and the place now, it is very positive. It is quiet, it is in order, it is safe to live with your family and, of course, it is football, it is a job and you have the best facilities to use, the environment to work and the stadium and facilities are of a high standard. So it is really a good place to be. "It's absolutely true the standard has been raised [since the World Cup]. It is not just things around football but the infrastructure, the roads, the buildings and parts of the city that have been developed, all on another level. It is a city that is functioning in the structure and everything is in this place. There are interesting things to do and the job is here, the tools are there and it is a really nice place."
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trust in La Masia – Hansi Flick following in the footsteps of Guardiola, Luis Enrique at Barcelona
La Masia has always been an integral part of Barcelona, and the several players who have made their way up the ranks over the years are testament to the same. Hansi Flick, despite not having a direct link with the club before his arrival, has adapted perfectly and understood the importance of the academy in the team's plans. Last season, he did not hold back in handing out debuts, and the same trend has continued this season, with young Jofre Torrents even making his debut for the club last weekend. Among the greats As relayed in a recent report by MARCA, Flick is on his way to joining some of the greatest coaches in Barcelona's history in terms of giving young talents chances in the first team. Last season, in his first term in charge at the club, the German coach gave six players their debut for the senior side – Marc Bernal, Gerard Martin, Andres Cuenca, Sergi Dominguez, Dani Rodriguez and Toni Fernandez. Jofre Torrents made his official debut vs Mallorca. (Picture courtesy: FC Barcelona Official Website) With Torrents now the latest in the group, his tally moves to seven players and is slowly but surely catching up with former greats at the club. For comparison, Xavi Hernandez gave 15 young players their debut for the first team during his term at the club, including the likes of Lamine Yamal, Fermin Lopez, Pau Cubarsi, Hector Fort, Inaki Pena and Marc Casado. Moving further back in the timeline, Luis Enrique handed 15 players their debut in three seasons, Ernesto Valverde 14 in two and a half years and Ronald Koeman seven players during his time at the club. The record, however, is held by none other than Pep Guardiola, who gave 22 players their first chance with the senior team during his time at the club. Needless to say, Flick has big competition to beat. In the coming weeks, the likes of Pedro 'Dro' Fernandez and Guille Fernandez could be in line to make their debut, and that number can even rise as the season progresses.
Forbes
5 hours ago
- Forbes
Tijjani Reijnders Kicks Off Manchester City's New Era In Style
Manchester City dismantled Wolverhampton 4-0 on Saturday to kick off their Premier League season in style, but Pep Guardiola cut a frustrated figure in the aftermath. At a time when most of his colleagues complain about the lack of signings, the Spaniard was annoyed at having too many options at his disposal. 'I like a deep squad to compete in all competitions but I don't want to leave players at home,' he said. "It's not healthy. You cannot create a good vibe or atmosphere to compete. 'The club has known [about]"In the next two weeks, people will talk with players and agents to find a solution. We have to reduce the squad because it will be difficult to sustain the vibe of the team.' If the size of the squad annoyed Guardiola, he was elated with his new signings' immediate impact as Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki both scored at Molineux. Tijjani Reijnders steals the show on Premier League debut A £46.3m ($62.7m) arrival from AC Milan in the summer transfer window, the Dutchman stole the show on his Premier League debut, setting up the opener with 33 minutes gone. Drifting in between the lines, he delicately scooped a ball over the Wolverhampton's defence for Rico Lewis to run onto, before squaring it to Erling Haaland for the simplest of tap-ins. Just minutes later, Reijnders turned from provider to finisher, exchanging passes with Oscar Bobb, before calmly rolling the ball past Wolves keeper Jose Sa. The pair combined again shortly after the hour-mark, with City's new signings teeing up Haaland by cutting the ball back across the box, before the Norwegian rifled the ball past Sa. "It's a great start," Reijnders told BBC's Match of the Day. "Very happy with an assist and a goal and a very good win. It is a great start and we have to keep going now. "I saw the intensity and it is pretty hard, but it is nice to play in the Premier League and to score on my debut is always nice. "I'm always trying to find space in the box and work to give assists. My type of game is to be a box-to-box player and help the team with goals and assists." The Dutch international is the first City player to score and assist a goal on his Premier League since Sergio Aguero accomplished the feat in a 4-0 thrashing of Swansea City on the opening day of the 2011-12 campaign. According to figures from Opta, Reijnders ranked second among City players for passes in the final third on Saturday with 22 behind Nico Gonzalez's 24 and third in shots and crosses with three each. He also ranked third in terms of touches, with 82 and completed 52 of his 57 attempted passes. 'Really good,' was Guardiola's verdict on Reijnders after the final whistle. "Lovely guy and has made an impact from day one. His pace, he can help with the holding midfield. "He can make runs inside the pockets and the spaces that sometimes we allow defenders to create. 'At Milan he was exceptional and with the national team. We knew he is a top signing for the coming years for City.' Can Tijjani Reijnders replace Kevin De Bruyne? City's midfield lack of physicality and running power was badly exposed both domestically and in Europe last season. The issue was exacerbated by the absences of reigning Ballon d'Or winner Rodri, who missed almost the entire season with a knee injury, and Mateo Kovacic. Gonzalez's arrival from Porto in January for $67.8m did little to stem the flow, but on Saturday there were signs the Argentine has finally found his feet in Guardiola's plans. Reijnders' arrival also appeared to have addressed the lack of dynamism in City's engine room. The Dutch international was arguably Milan's player of the season last term, with 10 goals and four assists in Serie A. Among midfielders, only Scott McTominay, had more goal involvements with 16. Milan signed Reijnders from Dutch side AZ Alkmaar in summer 2023 for $22.8 million, but his initial return of just four goals in 50 appearances across all competitions was underwhelming. Former Milan manager Stefano Pioli even teased him in January about his frequent off-target shots. However, twelve months later, Reijnders began finding the same promising positions with newfound composure, leading to a significant surge in his goal tally. Last season, his shots on target more than tripled (from 0.25 to 0.87 per match), and his conversion rate more than doubled, climbing from 10% to 23%. He also ranked fifth for through balls and ninth for forward passes in Serie A last season. Why AC Milan let Tijjani Reijnders go It begs the question as to why Milan let their best player go after a disappointing season in which they finished eighth in Serie A and missed out on qualification to a European competition. But under the ownership of American investment firm RedBird, balancing the books has become as important for the Rossoneri as winning trophies once was. Up until January, RedBird had not broken the $35m barrier on signings in three years since taking over from Elliott Management in the weeks following the last Serie A title triumph in 2022. Reijnders' sale this summer came as Milan recouped $175m in player sales as they needed to plug the hole left by the lack of European football. Milan's loss was City's gain, with the Premier League giants signing Reijnders for a relatively cut price in today's over-inflated market. After finishing trophy-less for only the second time in Guardiola's nine seasons at the Etihad, City needed to refresh their squad as Kevin De Bruyne bid farewell to the club after a decade. Along with Cherki and fellow summer arrivals James Trafford and Rayan Aït-Nouri, in Guardiola's plans Reijnders represents City's future and their present. The Spaniard's first signing at the Etihad was Ilkay Gundogan, a player who proved crucial to each of the 15 major trophies City have won under Guardiola. Gundogan watched on from the bench as Reijnders pulled the strings for his new club on Saturday afternoon. City and Guardiola will be hoping the Dutchman can go on to have the same impact as his teammate.
