Barcelona prodigy wants to stay at club for his whole life – ‘Would like to be remembered as a legend’

Speaking in an interview with La Liga World (h/t SPORT) ahead of Saturday’s El Clasico against Real Madrid, Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal admitted that he wants to stay at Barcelona ‘his whole life’.

A product of the Catalans’ famed La Masia youth setup, the 17-year-old has become one of the new faces of the team and is an indispensable part of Hansi Flick’s plans.

Yamal’s growth has attracted interest, with PSG, most notably, seeing a €250 million offer getting turned down this past summer.

Now, the young Spaniard has made it clear that he wants to spend his entire career at Barça and be recognised as a legend of the club.

“I would like to be remembered in Barça’s history as a legend. Thanks to Barcelona, I am who I am. They’ve given me everything,” said Yamal.

The Barcelona starlet’s goal is to continue defending the Blaugrana shirt for many years, stating that he hopes to “be at Barça my whole life”, though he acknowledges being very young and that “my life ultimately depends on football”.

Fearless approach

On Saturday, Yamal will face off against Barcelona’s fiercest rivals, Real Madrid, at a packed Santiago Bernabeu, with the atmosphere set to be hostile towards the Catalans.

But the youngster will not be fazed by it, as he admitted: “This year, when I receive the ball, I feel the crowd starting to shout, and it really motivates me.”

Yamal will be up against the defensively solid Ferland Mendy on Saturday – a player who the youngster has previously acknowledged as his toughest opponent thus far.

Discussing how he approaches the challenges of facing strong full-backs, the Barcelona winger remarked:

“I usually look at the full-back and go at him with everything. It’s a feeling I’ve never had before. It’s as if my mother were in front of me telling me to go at the opponent. It’s a sensation I can’t describe, but it’s incredible.”

As Barcelona get set to take on Real Madrid in the first El Clasico of the season, all eyes will be on Yamal as he could be the real difference-maker for the league leaders.