Adolescence is an age of profound physical and psychological transformation. The world of childhood is abandoned to glimpse the adult universe, an oceanic leap that invites exploration, rebellion and fear of the unknown. The adolescent is delusional and predisposed to vertigo, which is as exciting as it is fearful. In this class of delicate management is Lamine Yamal, a promise of a great player subjected at the age of 16 to the beastly forces that operate in football and particularly in Barça.
Lamine Yamal is not a cosmetic whim in a team where the highest demand is demanded. He is only 16 years old, but he has fulfilled the basic premise to play for Barça: he has plenty of talent and no lack of character. There is nothing in his performance that points to doubt, although it is clear that he is in a phase of transformation. He is still a teenager, even if he plays in full stadiums, is examined under a microscope in every game and faces fierce competition.
Ferran, Raphinha or João Félix, three contrasting players on the international scene, with a few seasons behind them and protagonists of abundant transfers, fight with Lamine for ownership in a team that no one expects. A progression that will also be affected by physiological and psychological factors, not to mention the influence of chance on injuries, will depend on Lamine Yamal’s ability to understand the extreme nature of professional competition and internal competition.
A mantra has been repeated ever since Lamine Yamal broke through with a pair of geniuses at the Gamper. “It needs to be taken care of”, has been repeated ever since. But how do you take care of a teenager in an environment that can terrify contrasting, famous, stubborn footballers due to the pressure and demands created by Barça? It is enough to remember André Gomes, Coutinho or Griezmann himself, exuberant at Atlético de Madrid, melancholy at Barça.
One of the most accepted ideas is the regulation of matches and minutes at such an early age. It makes all the sense in the world, because we are dealing with a physics under construction, in danger of collapsing. Xavi, who made his Barça debut at the age of 18, usually refers to this risk when he talks about Lamine. However, there is an equal or perhaps more important risk: boredom, the feeling of loss of importance, of dissipated freshness, which is the worst scenario for any teenager, footballer or not.
Adolescence is an effervescent time that pushes for adventure and detests boredom. In recent weeks, Xavi has managed the minutes of Lamine Yamal, who has fulfilled his obligations with great professionalism, but has transmitted a sense of boredom, as if he had lost the youthful gas, the overflowing passion to play that characterized him so much in the first matches
If Lamine Yamaal is a footballer project, there is no threat for him and for Barça to turn him into any player, one more of the rotation. If to this risk is added the neglect that Lamine Yamal has suffered in several games, without provision or with little interest in providing him, the problem is aggravated. The scenes of a disappointed Lamine are repeated, with his arms in the air, demanding a pass that does not arrive, for unknown reasons, although it is difficult to understand.
As difficult as the balance is, nothing is more important than preserving the effervescence, ambition and self-esteem of this 16-year-old player. If he stops feeling important, or is invited to boredom, there will be no cures worth having. And if the veteran Lewandowski, great star of the team, publicly humiliates him with an infamous gesture, the most likely thing is that care will turn into lack of protection.
