A blunt answer on the El Chiringuito set
Jose Mourinho has made his call. Asked by Josep Pedrerol in the second part of his interview on El Chiringuito, Real Madrid’s new boss said no to Lamine Yamal.
The question was straightforward: would he like to have Barcelona’s winger in his squad? The reply came back fast.
“No. He is without doubt an excellent player, a youngster with incredible potential to get even better. It is not common, at his age, to be European and world champion, but we have a top-level squad, he would not find his place with us. Right now, they are mine. Mine are the best,” the Portuguese said.
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The Mourinho method, same as ever
The message goes beyond Yamal. Mourinho protects his dressing room. He did it at Porto, at Chelsea, at Inter, at Manchester United. He is at it again in Madrid.
Publicly turning away one of the most wanted players in Europe sends a clear signal to his own forwards: nobody is coming in to take your spot. “Mine are the best” is not analysis. It is a loyalty test.
On the football side, the manager backs up his stance by pointing to the depth of his group. In his view, Yamal would simply not fit into this Madrid squad.
An unusual status at 19
The praise slipped in along the way still says plenty about the Catalan’s rise. European champion and then world champion, Lamine Yamal has already ticked off two boxes that most players never reach in a career. Mourinho knows it too: at that age, it is rare.
Barcelona have never given the slightest hint that their winger is up for grabs. Pedrerol’s question was always more of a thought experiment than anything else. The answer, though, will sit in Clasico history for a while.
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