Lamine Yamal says Barcelona must aim to win the Champions League this season and has revealed that he would welcome a European meeting with Real Madrid.
The 19-year-old winger discussed Barcelona’s ambitions in an interview with Jorge Valdano on Movistar’s Universo Valdano. Asked about the prospect of facing Madrid in Europe, Yamal said he hoped the two Spanish giants would meet in the Champions League.
“We have never faced Real Madrid in the Champions League before, and I hope we face them in this competition,” Yamal said. “If you come from La Masia, you know that El Clásico feels like a battle.”
Barcelona have not won the Champions League since 2015, but Yamal believes the current squad must embrace the pressure of competing for Europe’s biggest prize.
“We are Barça,” he said. “We have to aim for everything. We cannot go into the Champions League thinking we are not going to win it.”
Yamal identified Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich as two of the most difficult opponents Barcelona could face. He said Barcelona can struggle against teams with greater physical intensity, who force opponents to run and remain focused for long spells.
“Our weakness is against teams like Bayern or PSG, who are more physical and make you run a lot,” Yamal said. “They force you to stay focused throughout the whole match.”
The Spain international named PSG as the leading contender in Europe but noted that defending a major trophy is one of football’s hardest challenges.
“I think PSG, but the problem they have is that it is very difficult to win after you have already won,” he said. “That is the hardest thing in football. When you win a title, winning again is the hardest thing.”
Yamal also spoke strongly about racism in football, saying punishments for discriminatory behaviour must be more severe after he experienced abuse at stadiums including the Santiago Bernabéu.
“Things are being done, but some decisions should be taken more seriously,” he said. “If someone commits a racist act and the whole world sees it, millions of children see it, you have to punish them properly. It is something that cannot be tolerated.”
The Barcelona forward praised Lionel Messi’s World Cup displays for Argentina, calling him the tournament’s best player, and recalled an early lesson from former Barcelona captain Sergio Busquets about the responsibility that comes with representing the club.
Yamal also named Real Betis and Villarreal as the two La Liga teams he most enjoys watching outside Barcelona, describing Villarreal as particularly enjoyable opponents to face.
