Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente made his feelings clear after footage of Lamine Yamal’s supposed reaction to finding out he was being substituted during the Nations League final emerged on Sunday.
Spain went ahead through Martin Zubimendi at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, on Sunday evening, but Portugal quickly levelled thanks to a powerful left-footed strike from PSG left-back Nuno Mendes.
But the reigning European champions regained their advantage through Mikel Oyarzabal on 45 minutes before Cristiano Ronaldo made it 2-2 on 61 minutes.
The narrative coming into the game was about Yamal and Ronaldo, but the 17-year-old struggled dealing with the excellent Mendes and was withdrawn at half-time of extra time.
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A video later emerged via Spanish outlet MARCA, which appeared to show a frustrated Yamal after finding out he was being replaced.
After the match, De la Fuente explained his decision during his press conference, saying: “We wanted to give the game a bit more energy.
“The introduction of Yeremy Pino and Alex Baena gave us that energy, that control of the game that we had lost, as well as our finishing and shooting.”
He added: “He is tired because he has been competing since Thursday, [and] there has been little rest. He has had a very difficult year.
“He is 17 years old and we have to behave accordingly.
“Today, we understood that it was time to replace him to give another player the opportunity to come in, so that he brings a little more energy.”
Even Ronaldo was asked about the Spain coach’s decision to take off Yamal.
“Your coach is a phenomenon,” Ronaldo told reporters.
“He knows better than I do what the team needs… I’m not a coach.
“He’s already won several titles with Spain. What more do you want me to say?
“If the coach made the decision, it was because he thought it was the best thing to improve his team.”
In another interview the 40-year-old added: "I have many titles with my clubs, but nothing is better than winning for Portugal.
"These are tears. It's mission accomplished and so much joy."
Topics: Spain, Lamine Yamal, Cristiano Ronaldo, Football
Luke Davies