Deco, the sporting director of FC Barcelona, made some bold statements about Lamine Yamal during the ‘Thinking Football Summit’ in Portugal on Thursday.
According to Deco, Yamal has the potential to be part of the greatest Barcelona team in history. He praised Yamal for his exceptional skills, noting that his technical abilities stand out in a way that is unique compared to other players.
“Lamine would play in the best FC Barcelona,” said Deco as quoted by SPORT.
“He has been special since he was very young and his technical ability is completely different,” he noted.
Deco also highlighted Yamal’s impressive mental strength. He mentioned that Yamal manages to remain composed and unfazed by the pressures of playing for both Barcelona and the Spanish national team, even on the biggest stages.
This mental fortitude, Deco remarked, is quite different from what is typically seen in young players. “[His mental capacity] is different from what we are used to seeing,” he said.
Deco’s study of FC Barcelona
Deco also discussed the vital role of La Masia, Barcelona’s youth academy, in shaping the future of the club. He admitted that when he first joined FC Barcelona, there was a noticeable lack of coordination between the youth academy and the senior team.
He observed that this misalignment had resulted in some talented players leaving the club prematurely. However, he is pleased to report that this issue has been addressed and reversed.
“The first thing I did when I arrived was to understand what we have in-house. With every high-level player we bring up to the first team we don’t have to go to the market, so we are saving because we are training well.”
Deco explained that his initial focus upon arriving at Camp Nou was to assess the talent within the club.
He emphasized the importance of promoting high-level players from the youth academy to the first team, which reduces the need to make expensive transfers from the market.
“Barcelona’s success story has always been youth players alongside players who have won something but have not yet reached the pinnacle of success.”
Deco cited his own experience at Barcelona, playing alongside stars like Samuel Eto’o and Ronaldinho, as well as homegrown talents like Carles Puyol and Xavi Hernandez.
“That balance is what we have managed to build. To create the basis of the Barcelona of today and the next few years, that is the great objective,” he explained.
When discussing the type of players Barcelona seeks, Deco was straightforward. He stated that while many players aspire to join FC Barcelona, the club is specifically looking for those who are not only eager to play for the team but are also driven by the ambition to win with Barcelona.
“I know there are many players who want to play for FC Barcelona, but we want players who dream of winning with FC Barcelona, which is something completely different”.
“We want players who want and dream of winning at Barcelona, that’s the secret for us to win again and that’s what we’re going to do,” he added.