Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal says he is drawing inspiration from basketball icon LeBron James and Brazilian star Neymar as FC Barcelona prepare for a crucial UEFA Champions League clash against Atlético Madrid.
Barcelona trail 2-0 from the first leg of their quarter-final and face a daunting task of overturning the deficit in Tuesday’s return leg at the Metropolitano Stadium.
Speaking ahead of the match, the teenage forward revealed he had changed his Instagram profile picture to an image of LeBron James lifting the 2016 NBA Finals trophy—after leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a historic comeback from 3-1 down against the Golden State Warriors.
“He’s one of the reference points that can inspire me for tomorrow’s game,” Yamal said. “I will think about what he did and I hope it goes the same way for me.”
Yamal also pointed to Neymar’s iconic performance during Barcelona’s historic 6-1 comeback win over Paris Saint-Germain in 2017, after losing the first leg 4-0.
“I’ve watched that game many times,” he said. “Neymar is a player who marked my childhood—he’s my idol, and I’ll always be grateful for what he gave to football.”
The 18-year-old was heavily marked in the first leg, often facing double and triple coverage from Atlético defenders.
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick, however, backed the youngster to make an impact.
“I think Lamine has performed really well in recent games. He has to keep doing what he’s best at—one-on-one situations,” Flick said.
Yamal expressed confidence that he would find more space in the second leg as Barcelona aimed for a dramatic comeback and a place in the semi-finals.
