Barcelona sporting director Deco was reportedly forced to intervene as head coach Hansi Flick wanted to discipline Lamine Yamal following an incident.
Yamal, 18, is one of the most promising talents in world football and, despite his age, is no doubt among the first names on Flick’s team sheet ahead of Barcelona matches.
The 18-year-old has already helped the Catalan side win two La Liga titles, one Copa del Rey and a Spanish Super Cup since his debut in 2023, while also playing an integral role in Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph.
Despite tentative links with a shock switch to Saudi Arabia, the teenager recently penned a new six-year deal at Barca and, according to Forbes, is the tenth highest-paid player in the world behind leaders Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
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According to The Athletic, Yamal earns just shy of €40m (£33.5m) a year before tax - although that sum is based on whether he achieves all of his performance-related bonuses.
This equates to £644,000 per week or £3,385 an hour and £63 per minute.
And despite the fame, money and plaudits coming at Yamal from all angles, Barca coach Flick makes no exceptions when it comes to discipline.
There have been several reports of players being late to Barca training in recent weeks - including Marcus Rashford and Raphinha – which has resulted in the culprits being dropped from the starting XI for the subsequent match.
As per Spanish outlet AS, Flick punishes his players if they are late for training, matchdays or team/individual meetings.
However, a report from Cadena SER’s EL Larguero claims that sporting director Deco stepped in to prevent Yamal from being punished after he was reportedly late to a team meeting ahead of the Champions League fixture against Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month.
Flick reportedly wanted to leave Yamal out, but Deco overruled him and made him reconsider his decision.
Ironically, Yamal played for the full match but sustained a groin injury, which forced him to miss the October international break.
The Cadena SER report also claimed that there are ‘concerns’ from the La Liga champions about Yamal’s off-the-field lifestyle.
“The Blaugrana club is not pleased with the player's behaviour in recent months,” the report stated.
“The player's behaviour in recent months has not been well-received. His actions off the field may be bothering certain sectors of the Barcelona leadership, who are keeping a close eye on the second-best player in the world.”
Barcelona return to La Liga action against Girona on Saturday before next week’s ‘El Clásico’ against Real Madrid.
Topics: Barcelona, Lamine Yamal, La Liga, Football
Luke Davies