Hansi Flick Offers Lamine Yamal Advice After Calls to Sell Barcelona Star

Hansi Flick has encouraged Lamine Yamal to forget Tuesday’s defeat to Chelsea after a surprise attack from former Barcelona director Toni Freixa.

The 2025 Ballon d’Or runner-up has already reached stratospheric levels of fame and acclaim despite being just 18 years old, dazzling consistently since breaking into the first team for both Barcelona and Spain.

Yamal is a bona fide superstar on the path towards footballing immortality, but the teenager’s brilliance has not made him immune to criticism—even from those of a Barça persuasion.

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Former Blaugrana director Freixa refused to mince his words when discussing the generational talent, revealing the advice he would give Yamal and how Barça must react if the noise surrounding their starlet becomes an issue.

Barça would be mad to entertain selling Yamal. / Bruno Penas/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images

“If Lamine were my son, I would tell him that he’s not as good as they say he is. Keep working hard and don’t believe anything you’ve heard. Focus only on soccer,” Freixa revealed on El Chiringuito (as quoted by Sport).

“If Lamine has any kind of problem that needs to be addressed, we have to help him. Hypothetically, if it reaches a point where this problem can no longer be managed, that’s fine, Barça will continue [without him].

“I’m not ruling out any possibility when thinking about my club. Everyone at the club is just passing through; what’s important is Barça.”

Freixa’s claims are certainly bold, with few at Barça likely to concur regarding a potential sale. The fleet-footed winger is certain to continue toppling records for club and country, bringing immense success to the Catalan behemoths in the process.

Marc Cucurella (left) and Lamine Yamal were locked in a feisty battle. / Catherine Ivill/AMA/Getty Images

Yamal came out second-best in his personal duel with Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella in midweek, trudging off the pitch in the 80th minute after mustering just one tame effort on goal as Barcelona were thumped 3–0. Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sánchez was one of many who took great pleasure in taunting the teenage starlet, yet Flick’s advice was simple: Forget it.

“For me, Cucurella is one of the best left backs in the world,” the Barcelona manager mused. “It’s not easy to play him, he’s very smart, very intelligent in the defence.

“The next step now for Lamine is to show again it’s not about this match, forget it. Alavés is now the important thing and he has to show his best performance, his best level.”

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