Lamine Yamal faces fresh Spain controversy as reports claim team-mates have turned on him

Robin Bairner

• 5 Nov 2025 08:00 CST
• 5 min read

Nieuws

Lamine Yamal is poised to be the unwitting subject of yet more controversy should he play for Barcelona against Club Brugge in the Champions League on Wednesday.

The teenager has struggled to stay out of the headlines this season. Amid concerns over his long-term fitness because of a groin problem, the winger’s behaviour both on and off the field has come in the spotlight.

He was central to an angry clash following Barcelona’s loss in El Clasico to Real Madrid in October while there have been reports that he is unpopular with Spain team-mates at a national team level.

Much of the controversy surrounding the 18-year-old began in September when he was injured playing on Spain duty when his club reportedly did not want him involved.

Now, Lamine is set to be central in another club vs country row. El Desmarque reports that if he features in the Champions League, Spain boss Luis de la Fuente will call him up for international duty next week.

Hansi Flick brushes off Lamine Yamal’s Spain controversy

Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick has indicated that he’s happy for Lamine Yamal to join up with the national squad in a sharp shift from a stance that was previously highly critical of the way the teenager was treated with La Roja.

“It’s not my problem if he goes to the national team,” the German said. “He’s training very, very well. It’s not a question of saying that he’s 100% recovered because it’s a process. He’s fine and can play.”

The stance of the former Bayern Munich boss has drawn criticism from elsewhere, with pundits concerned about the long-term impact on the Ballon d’Or runner-up.

“I'm surprised that Hansi Flick says: 'It's not my problem,' when not long ago he was making it clear that it was,” expert Ricardo Reyes explained on El Desmarque Madrugada.

“It’s important that Luis de la Fuente appears in Barcelona on Thursday. He has to sort this out. Barca need to speak to him.”

Locker room revolt

Lamine Yamal’s absence from La Roja might not be the blow that it would appear on paper, with a recent report indicating that certain members of the national team are unhappy with the way the player acts.

Indeed, it has been claimed that some senior players have even told De la Fuente to leave the Barcelona star at home.

El Nacional claims: “Some see the attitude of a precocious star. They say he's no longer the quiet, focused kid he was a year ago. He seems arrogant, even distant. In a locker room that values unity over egos, this is starting to weigh on them.”

De la Fuente has previously been public in his support for Lamine, explaining in March: “What do I demand from Lamine? To keep enjoying football, to keep doing what he likes, to keep understanding football the way he does.

“What do I demand from the rest of you [the media]? To understand that he is not a mature player yet. He still needs to grow.

“He can get really far, but it's you guys who criticise him and want to 'kill' him.”

Former Real Madrid star insists he'd never sign Yamal for Los Blancos

Ivan Zamorano, who played for Real Madrid between 1992 and 1996, insists he would never sign Yamal for Los Blancos as he lacks the class and soul to play for the club.

“I wouldn’t sign Lamine Yamal for Real Madrid. He’s a star, but he doesn’t embody the essence or soul of what a Real Madrid player should be,” Zamorano said on the El Cafelito podcast.

“I would sign Pedri, who is a star and a phenomenon... and without saying a word. He is humble, down-to-earth, and speaks only when necessary. Pedri has the essence, the soul, of Real Madrid.

“Real Madrid is a team with class and culture, and the players who play for Madrid have to represent that. I never heard [Lionel] Messi say that Real Madrid steals, and he was the best in the world.”

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