LAmin Yamal is enjoying a moment of great form at Barcelona. And off the pitch, he admits to cutting off as much contact as possible in order to live life as a young 18-year-old. His age is consistent with the maturity he shows despite being the center of attention.
“I’m doing what any 18-year-old would do: hanging out with my friends, taking care of my little brother, playing my PlayStation, going for walks, things like that,” he said in an interview with ESPN. In his opinion, this is the key to living a quiet life away from media attention
“I’m with my friends and I try to live my life. I try not to focus only on football, I’m always focused on the game, I’m not watching videos of the full-backs I’m playing against, it’s none of that,” says the Barcelona attacker.
I try not to watch videos of the full-backs I play against, so that I don’t just focus on the football, so I don’t concentrate on the game all the time.
His wish is to live as normal a life as possible, keeping in mind that he will never be the same as a normal person. “I try to enjoy myself all day and give my best when I’m on the pitch, but when I’m off the pitch I try to separate myself from football as much as possible.”
In an interview, the player was asked what he would do if he became invisible for a day, and he answered: “First we go to breakfast on the terrace. In the afternoon we play a soccer match in a park, for example in the Pori area of Roca Fonda. Then we go for a bike ride or a scooter ride with friends. It’s normal.”
He also recalls moments from his childhood not so long ago, when he did not have the privileges he currently enjoys as a professional soccer player. “When I was little, I couldn’t buy a PlayStation or Famicom, so I used to play with my friends in the garden with Pokemon cards, which were worth 1 euro,” Lamine confessed.
When I was little there was no possibility of buying a PlayStation or Nintendo
Despite trying, one thing he doesn’t do is cook. As he himself admitted, it was not his hobby. “The truth is, it wasn’t my thing, so I quit. I was very bad at it, very bad at it. At best, I could make you nuggets with potatoes.”
In addition to his success with Barcelona, Lamine does not hide another big goal for this year. “We still have a long way to go to reach the World Cup, but the dream belongs to all Spaniards. We want to win and do our best for our country.”
