Topics: Lamine Yamal, Barcelona, Football, La Liga
Lamine Yamal has made two huge demands after signing his Barcelona contract, and his teammates will not be happy.
Having burst onto the scene for both Barcelona and Spain last year, Yamal has established himself as one of the best footballers on the planet.
Therefore, it came as no surprise that the La Liga giants were eager to tie him down with a new contract that would keep him at the club for the foreseeable future.
After months of negotiations, Yamal finally signed a new six-year contract with Barcelona last month, keeping him at Barcelona until at least 2031, when he will still be just 23 years old.
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But as the Spaniard enjoys a holiday during the off-season, some of the details of his contract and the demands he has made ahead of next season have emerged, and it may frustrate some of his teammates.
As part of his new contract, which includes a stunning €1billion release clause, Yamal will reportedly earn around €40 million [£33.5 million] a year before tax, should he hit all all of his performance-related bonuses, making him one of the highest paid players in the squad.
"A contract extension for Lamine Yamal is another demonstration of the solidity of the current Barça project," the Spanish club said in a statement announcing the deal.
And, according to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, the youngster will enjoy some benefits on the pitch as well, having asked Barcelona to allow him to take both free kicks and penalties next season.
As it stands, Yamal's fellow attackers Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski share the free kicks awarded to Barcelona, while the Polish striker is the first choice for penalties.
Although it remains unclear if Yamal has agreed to become the first choice for both set pieces, or if he simply wants to be considered when they are awarded, is unclear.
Regardless, it's likely that his teammates won't exactly be thrilled by the idea of being taken off set pieces, especially given the fact that they have performed well when doing so in recent seasons.
But for Yamal, the chance to take both free kicks and penalties offers him a massive opportunity to further add to his impressive tally of goals and assists next season.
In the 2024/25 season, the 17-year-old producing 18 goals and 25 assists across 55 appearances, helping his side win a domestic treble as well as reach the Champions League semi-finals.
And it's likely that taking penalties will help him seriously increase his goal tally, as he currently boasts a 80% conversion rate having taken five across his time playing for Spain.
