Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé has urged critics of Barcelona star Lamine Yamal to give the teenager some privacy in regards to his private life.
While Yamal’s on-field exploits leave no room for doubt, the 18-year-old has faced criticism for his antics away from the pitch. Reports on his relationship status and controversy relating to his latest birthday party have divided opinion among fans and rivals alike.
In an upcoming interview with Movistar+, Mbappé offered some advice to Yamal as a former teenage phenomenon himself, urging the Barcelona youngster to keep his head down and focus on football.
“Lamine Yamal has shown he truly loves football and that passion is something he should never lose,” Mbappé began. “As for his personal life, that’s his own matter.
“People talk a lot about his personal life but he’s just 18 year old. Everyone at that age makes mistakes and learns from them. What matters is what he does on the pitch. There, he’s already fantastic.
“He’s incredibly talented and I hope he continues on his path and achieves the success he deserves. He just needs to stay focused on football.”
Joan Laporta: ‘We’ll Protect Yamal On and Off the Pitch’
Yamal is currently enduring a challenging period in his career. He has been at the heart of controversy between Barcelona and the Spain national team over a groin injury which he suffered in the September international window and flared up again earlier this month.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has vowed to do what he can to keep Yamal safe both professionally and personally, and praised the teenager for his mature response to his latest injury setback.
“Lamine is a genius,” Laporta said. “We have to wrap him up, give him the best advice, but he is already much more mature than a boy of his age because of what he has experienced.
“This fame could take over him, but he takes it very well. He is 18 years old, he trains every day. He is disciplined with his pubalgia and with what he is told from the club, he follows everything in detail so that he improves.
“The way to treat him is to help him, he will make mistakes like everyone else, and perhaps more, because he is very young. He’s a kid who makes himself loved.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘What Matters Is’—Kylian Mbappe Sends Lamine Yamal Warning.
