Luis Figo Hails Lamine Yamal and Reveals How They Would Have Played Together at Barcelona

Luis Figo praised Lamine Yamal’s talent and revealed how he would have changed positions to play alongside the young star in Barcelona’s attack.

Luis Figo Praises Lamine Yamal’s Talent

Luis Figo had plenty of praise for Lamine Yamal, one of the leading figures at Barcelona. Speaking to Betfair, the former Portugal international discussed the young winger’s qualities and imagined what it would have been like to share a dressing room with him.

Figo made his name as a winger during his career, while Yamal has become a key part of Barcelona’s attack at a very young age. However, the Portuguese legend surprised fans by considering how he would have handled the competition between two players with similar roles.

“I Would Have Had to Play on the Left”: Figo’s Admission

Figo admitted that he would have changed positions to play alongside Lamine Yamal. “If we had played together, maybe I would have had to play on the left and change positions,” the Portuguese explained, highlighting his admiration for the Spanish star’s talent.

The former player also defended his own abilities with a touch of humor: “I had incredible talent, eh?” He recalled joining Barcelona at just 22 years old and explained that, at the time, restrictions on foreign players affected their opportunities. As he noted, times were different, and he did not get as much playing time initially as he might have expected.

Figo Explains How to Stop Lamine Yamal

His admiration did not stop Figo from analyzing the challenges Lamine Yamal poses to opposing defenses. When discussing the possibility of assigning a man-marking defender to follow him throughout an entire match, he argued that such a strategy would be excessive and difficult to sustain.

In his view, the most effective approach is to pay special attention to Yamal when he enters a defender’s zone, particularly that of the opposition’s left-back. The key would be to coordinate defensive support without leaving spaces that other Barcelona attackers could exploit.

The Barcelona Duo From Two Different Generations That Never Was

Figo also insisted that he would have considered himself a starter for any team he played for. His tongue-in-cheek remark reflects the confidence he still has in his abilities, even as he acknowledges the impact of an emerging star like Yamal.

A hypothetical partnership between the two would have combined the Portuguese winger’s experience and ability to beat defenders with the Spanish youngster’s creativity and fearlessness. Although they will never share the pitch in Barcelona colors, Figo’s admission offers a glimpse of the respect Yamal has already earned from some of football’s biggest names.