Barcelona star Lamine Yamal has revealed that he does not play football for money, but purely out of love for the game.
The 19-year-old recently came off a World Cup triumph with Spain and a sensational season with Barcelona.
Yamal, widely regarded as the best young player in the world, said he finds more joy in entertaining fans than chasing personal milestones.
“The thing is, I love football. I don’t play for money, I play because I love it. Players who obsess over goals or assists don’t enjoy it,” Yamal told the Guardian.
“I play for the fun: to dribble, to play one touch, two touches, to make a teammate who hasn’t scored score. For the fans’ happiness. To hear the olés. I play for that.”
“I enjoy it. I get home and I say: ‘I’ve had a great time.’ If every player did that, we would enjoy it much more.”
The winger, who grew up in the tough Rocafonda neighbourhood in Mataro, credited his roots for his fearless style on the pitch.
He said Barcelona taught him control and football IQ at La Masia, but the streets gave him his daring.
“Barcelona give you good things but you also need something of your own, your roots. Barcelona gave me control, understanding, IQ. In the park there’s no IQ: you go at your opponent, then go back again.”
Also Read: Yamal Is Only Player Who Deserves Ballon d’Or —Ex-Man City Star
“If I hadn’t come from where I came from and been at La Masia, I wouldn’t have come out like this.”
Speaking on pressure, Yamal said football is never pressure for him after what his family has been through.
“I saw my mum struggle so that I could play football. I’ve seen my dad go round the streets collecting scrap metal so I could eat. That’s fear,” he added.
“In football there’s no fear. I don’t have that fear now and that’s the only fear I could have in life.”
Yamal described the feeling of fans rising from their seats whenever he touches the ball as making him feel like Superman.
“At the Camp Nou, people know I’m going to go at someone. That feeling, that expectation, is something you can only experience in sport, being a player like me. You feel like Superman, you feel like Spiderman. You feel spectacular.”
Yamal scored 24 goals and provided 18 assists for Barcelona last season, winning La Liga and playing a key role as Spain won the World Cup.
