Lamine Yamal has revealed he is drawing inspiration from LeBron James and Neymar as FC Barcelona chase a Champions League turnaround against Atletico Madrid.
Barcelona trail 2-0 from the quarter-final first leg and head to the Metropolitano Stadium on Tuesday hoping to reach the final four for a second consecutive year.
The teenager changed his Instagram profile picture to James holding the NBA Finals trophy after leading the Cleveland Cavaliers back from 3-1 down to beat the Golden State Warriors in 2016.
“He’s one of the reference points that can inspire me for tomorrow’s game, that’s why I put him there,” Yamal told reporters.
“I will think about what he did and I hope it goes the same way for me.”
Yamal also looked closer to home for motivation, recalling Barcelona’s famous 2017 comeback against Paris Saint-Germain when the Catalan side overturned a 4-0 first-leg defeat with a 6-1 win.
“I’ve watched that game many times and saw it live too,” said the 18-year-old.
“Neymar is a player who has marked all of my childhood, he is my idol, and I will be grateful to him forever for what he has given to football.
“He’s the kind of player you buy a ticket to watch… I hope he can be at the World Cup.”
Barcelona’s European run last season ended in the semi-finals against Inter Milan despite a domestic treble. Yamal finished second in last year’s Ballon d’Or voting and is now central to the club’s hopes of another deep run.
Coach Hansi Flick backed the winger after he was heavily marked in the first leg.
“I think Lamine has performed really well in the last games, and what I say to him is he has to do the things where he’s the best in the world at the moment, one against one situations,” said Flick.
Yamal hopes for more space in the return leg and even joked about Diego Simeone easing the pressure.
“I feel very good and am really looking forward to tomorrow’s game. I hope I can make a difference,” added Yamal. “Let’s see if (Simeone) does me a favour and leaves me one-on-one against a player.”
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