Kylian Mbappé has hit out at the spotlight on Lamine Yamal, calling on critics to “leave him alone” and describing the teenage Barcelona and Spain star as a “great talent.”
Lamine, 18 — who last month won the Kopa Trophy for the world’s best under-21 player for the second consecutive year — has faced recent scrutiny on his private life.
There’s also been a row between Barça and the national team over his fitness, after the wide forward was initially named in the Spain squad for this international break, before being withdrawn by his club, after coach Hansi Flick earlier criticised Spain’s handling of his condition.
“You can see [Lamine] has passion for football and that’s the only thing he mustn’t lose,” Mbappé told Jorge Valdano in an interview which will be broadcast in full on Movistar on Sunday.
“The rest is just his life. People talk about his personal life, but I think people should leave him alone.”
Lamine has scored two goals and provided three assists for Barça in LaLiga so far this season in his third campaign as a first-team regular, having made his LaLiga debut in 2023 aged just 15.
Mbappé was another precocious talent, first playing in Ligue 1 for Monaco at the age of 16.
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“[Lamine] is a great football player, but in life he’s an 18-year-old kid,” Mbappé said.
“At 18 everyone makes mistakes. He’ll live his life. We should only look at what he does on the pitch. The rest isn’t important, as long as it isn’t anything serious. He’s a player with a great talent.”
Mbappé is currently on international duty with France — who play Azerbaijan on Friday — although he picked up a mild ankle sprain in Real Madrid‘s LaLiga win over Villarreal last Saturday.
