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Kylian Mbappe puts rivalries aside, sends strong message in support of Lamine Yamal: 'At 18 everyone makes mistakes’
Kylian Mbappe reflected on Lamine Yamal’s talent and passion while urging fans and media to respect the youngster’s privacy off the field.
Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe momentarily put club rivalries aside to shower praise on Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal, acknowledging his exceptional talent at such a young age. Mbappe, however, urged fans and the media to ease the pressure on the teenager and allow him space to grow off the field.
Yamal recently secured the runner-up spot in the Ballon d'Or rankings, finishing behind Ousmane Dembele. However, in recent months, the young Barcelona star has drawn attention off the pitch as well, with headlines focusing on his personal life, including his relationships and lavish birthday party.
Ahead of their El Clasico rivalry, the French star reflected on Yamal’s talent and passion while urging fans and media to respect the youngster’s privacy off the field.
"You can see [Lamine] has passion for football and that's the only thing he mustn't lose," Mbappé told Jorge Valdano in an interview which will be broadcast in full on Movistar on Sunday.
"The rest is just his life. People talk about his personal life, but I think people should leave him alone."
Mbappe highlighted Yamal, emphasising his immense talent on the pitch while reminding everyone that off the field, he is still an 18-year-old navigating life and bound to make mistakes like any young adult.
"[Lamine] is a great football player, but in life he's an 18-year-old kid," Mbappé said.
"At 18 everyone makes mistakes. He'll live his life. We should only look at what he does on the pitch. The rest isn't important, as long as it isn't anything serious. He's a player with a great talent," he added.
Lamine Yamal injured
Meanwhile, Yamal was recently ruled out of Spain's World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Bulgaria this month after suffering a recurrence of his groin injury.
The 18-year-old winger is expected to be sidelined for up to three weeks after the problem resurfaced following Wednesday's 2-1 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
Yamal made his first start in that match since August after missing four games while recovering from a groin injury, which drew the ire of Barcelona coach Hansi Flick who felt it was made worse by playing in September's World Cup qualifiers.
