“Yamal is a phenomenon, he will win several Ballons d’Or”
The Portuguese football legend also revealed that, on three occasions, he was close to moving to… Barcelona
Lamine Yamal has an increasingly long and illustrious list of admirers. The latest to join the list of fans of the 17-year-old winger is Paulo Futre, who, in an interview with SER Catalunya ‘s Què t,hi jugues programme , was full of praise for the Barcelona star . “Lamine Yamal is a phenomenon, we are looking at the next Ballon d’Or and I don’t know how many times he will win it in a few years, because he could win it several times,” he predicted.
For Futre, who turns 59 on 28 February, Yamal has the hallmarks of a great player. “ Lamine plays with incredible personality, quality and a winning spirit,” exclaimed the former Portuguese international.
When asked which Barça player he would sign for his Atlético side , the answer seemed obvious: “If I had to sign one, it would be Lamine , although there are also Raphinha and Pedri .”
«I was close to signing for Barça three times»
Looking back on his career, Futre revealed that he was “close to signing for Barça three times”. The closest he came was when he was still playing for FC Porto, he said, recalling that there was “a pact between the presidents, Pinto da Costa and Josep Lluís Núñez, on a napkin”.
The former winger then recalled the two other attempts by the Blaugrana, when he was already playing for Atlético Madrid: «I could have been Johan Cruyff’s first signing for Barça, but president Jesús Gil didn’t want to sell.»
