Lamine Yamal's two-word response to the possibility of joining Real Madrid one day
Barcelona star Lamine Yamal provided an answer which the club's supporters will no doubt be delighted with, after being questioned on the possibility of linking up with arch rivals Real Madrid at some point down the line.
Wide-man Lamine, for his part, is currently away on international duty with Spain.
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Fresh off a spectacular campaign on the books of Barcelona in 2024/25, the 17-year-old was afforded an expected call-up to Luis de la Fuente's squad for an upcoming Nations League meeting with France.
On Monday, Lamine, in turn, took part in scheduled media duties, with one such interview having been conducted by COPE.
And it was during this discussion that the prodigious young winger was drawn on an altogether interesting topic.
Specifically, Lamine was asked whether he would consider one day crossing the Clásico divide, to link up with Barcelona's most bitter rivals, Real Madrid.
The Spaniard, however, left no room for interpretation with his response, assuring:
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'No. Impossible.'
Conor Laird – GSFN
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New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Club World Cup is not a glorious new era for football, whatever Gianni Infantino tries to tell us
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Where he sees unprecedented moments of incredible drama played out in phenomenal atmospheres, some of us have seen matches of varying quality, some of them embarrassingly one-sided, some ruined by the madness of playing in the stifling afternoon heat, some interrupted for more than an hour by storms, some played in front sparse crowds, others attendances swelled and enlivened only by those supporting Real Madrid or the teams from Brazil, Argentina and Mexico. But somewhere in the chasm of perception between Infantino's bombast and the indifference felt by many football fans, certain things are easier to say. Just as there have been meagre turn-outs at some games, there have been big, noisy crowds at others. Just as there have been poor matches, where the quality has been low or totally mismatched, there have been some very good ones, none better than Al Hilal's thrilling 4-3 victory over Manchester City in Orlando on Monday night while Riyadh and Manchester were sleeping. That was the one that prompted Infantino's boldest 'new era' claim so far. 'A game for the ages,' he said on Instagram. 'The emotions and passion on display were something only a global, inclusive competition such as the FIFA Club World Cup can generate.' It was, to repeat, a thrilling game, a big moment for Saudi Arabian football and for this tournament. But … does the most powerful man in world football really believe the emotions witnessed at Camping World Stadium on Monday 'were something only a global, inclusive competition such as the FIFA Club World Cup can generate'? You would suspect not. You would certainly hope not. There have been some strong attendances, but nothing like as many as Infantino was suggesting there would be before the tournament. He told a sceptical media audience in Atlanta in April that he had even seen 'friendly games, exhibition games' sell out in American cities in recent years, so he was 'not worried at all to fill a stadium when teams are coming to play a World Cup, to play for (…) something real'. Advertisement He said it would be like staging '14 Super Bowls' in Atlanta — six at this summer's Club World Cup and eight at next year's World Cup. But the city's five games to date have hosted an average of 38,265, which is not only barely half the capacity of Mercedes-Benz Stadium but also almost 6,000 below Atlanta United's average attendance in what has been a deeply disappointing MLS season. Atlanta United's prices are significantly lower of course, but that suggests they know their market rather better than FIFA do. The Athletic revealed Wednesday night that prices for Friday's quarter-final between Fluminense and Al Hilal in Orlando had been slashed, with Ticketmaster, FIFA's official ticket-selling for the tournament, offering seats for as little as $11.15. (£8.17). It was also offering tickets for Chelsea's quarter-final against Palmeiras in Philadelphia for as little as $22.30 (£16.34). FIFA has been using a 'dynamic' pricing model, but these prices are significantly lower than Ticketmaster was showing for any group stage before the start of the tournament. To the vast American sporting public, this strange global tournament is proving a much harder sell than Infantino appeared to expect — harder than many of those of 'friendly games, exhibition games' Infantino was breezily talking about; harder, indeed, than a lot of matches in MLS, where there is a more clearly established bond between the fans, the teams and the competition they are watching. Football has become obsessed by globalisation, but the sport — as opposed to the business — is still fuelled by what happens at a local level. Whether it is in the big leagues of Europe (or indeed the smaller leagues of Europe), the Brazilian Campeonato, Argentina's Primera Division, the Saudi Pro League, Japan's J1 League, MLS, Liga MX or anywhere else, so much of what we feel as football supporters is about tradition, about rivalries built upon decades of enmity and shared history, about grudge matches and coveted prizes. It can be hard to see where the Club World Cup fits into all that. It is certainly a big thing for Al Hilal and for a group of big-money signings eager to prove they can still perform on a big stage, and the enthusiasm of the South American teams and fans has surprised nobody who knows how much they have relished those clashes with European opposition in previous iterations of this tournaments for many years. But among the European teams there is an air of reservedness — a sense that, while it would be very nice to be crowned world champions, the players are not going to lose sleep if they don't (and not many of the fans back home are going to lose sleep to watch a match that kicks off at 9pm EDT). Advertisement It was interesting to hear Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva say on Monday that elimination at the hands of Al Hilal felt 'a little bit like going out of the Champions League' — interesting that he only said a 'little bit' but, on the other hand, 'a little bit' is a lot more than some of the tournament's detractors might imagine. Both in theory and in practice, though, the idea of a Club World Cup has plenty to recommend it. Not as much as Infantino suggests, but there is a clear value in watching the best teams from the Americas, Africa and Asia doing battle with some of the big beasts from European football. Victories for Brazilian clubs Botafogo, Flamengo and Fluminense over Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Inter, respectively, were thoroughly entertaining, as was a 4-4 draw between Porto and Al Ahly. Infantino had already decided it was the greatest development in the game's history ('incredible', 'unprecedented', 'phenomenal', 'epic') and was already thinking of expanding it to 48 teams in 2029. If a point even exists at which he would have questioned the validity of the exercise, this tournament has not come within a million miles of it. But 'a new era of club football'? A 'big bang'? It all makes this sound like a sport that has been in darkness and is about to see the light, rather than one so all-conquering and all-consuming that the only risk to its future is that it might eat itself. One of the things Infantino said on the eve of the tournament, addressing an audience in Miami, was that he wants the Club World Cup to lead to 'globalised football, to make it truly, truly global, because when you scratch the surface (…), the elite is very concentrated in very few clubs, in very few countries, and we want to give hope and opportunities to Mamelodi Sundowns from South Africa, Ulsan from (South) Korea, Auckland City … .' The elitism of football. Now you're talking, Gianni. But isn't the great contradiction here that this tournament, with a $1billion prize fund to be shared (far from equally) among the entrants, is reinforcing the elitism — 'in very few clubs, in very countries' — that Infantino talks about? 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Seattle Sounders earned $9.55m despite losing all three games. Nice for those two clubs, but does it really help MLS clubs compete with the rest of the world? Or does it just give these two clubs a big competitive advantage over the domestic rivals (and, in Inter Miami's case, having been granted a qualifying place by winning the MLS Supporters' Shield in 2024, a peculiarity that FIFA insists had nothing to do with wanting Lionel Messi at the tournament)? Infantino talks about driving back against elitism, but the vast majority of that prize money will end up going to the biggest European clubs, who, having already been promised a greater market share of the $425m, represent five of the last eight and, due to the way the knockout bracket has taken shape, are guaranteed at least two semi-finalists and at least one finalist. Does it create a more level playing field if, for example, Real Madrid, PSG, Bayern Munich or Chelsea end up winning the $100m prize? Even if Al Hilal were to win it, this is a club whose transfer spend over the past two seasons is north of $500m, more than anyone in world football except for PSG, Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. Their spending, along with several other Saudi clubs, is largely financed by the kingdom's Public Investment Fund — which was also announced shortly before the tournament as an official partner of the Club World Cup, strengthening the ties between FIFA and Saudi Arabia, already confirmed as hosts of the 2034 World Cup. As for the likely future expansion of the tournament, does anyone imagine that adding 16 clubs would mean a greater proportion of clubs from the North and Central American, African, Asian and Oceanian confederations? There has been no Barcelona at this tournament, no Liverpool, no Arsenal, no Manchester United, no Napoli, no Milan. For all the talk of empowering the other confederations, for all that the South American clubs in particular have brought to the party this time, it is pretty obvious where FIFA will see more potential for growth. So does this Club World Cup really herald the dawn of a new era in global football? Or does it reinforce all the trends that have taken hold of the game in recent years — the strength of the 'super clubs' in Europe, the rise of Saudi Arabian influence, the incessant demands on the players, the belief that the only way to improve football is by playing more and more games, more and bigger competitions? Because constant expansion equals more games, which equals more money. And because more money is the name of the game, no matter where that money comes from or what geopolitical strings it comes with. What does Al Hilal's victory over Manchester City represent? That is harder to say, particularly given that Pep Guardiola's players looked desperate for a summer holiday. 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2 hours ago
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Fox Sports
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