Deco, the sports director of FC Barcelonamade bold statements about Lamine Yamal at the Thinking Football Summit in Portugal on Thursday.
According to Deco, Yamal has the potential to be part of the best Barcelona team in history. He praised Yamal for his exceptional qualities, highlighting that his technical abilities stand out in a unique way compared to other players.
“Lamine would play in the best FC Barcelona” Deco said as quoted by SPORT.
“He has been special since he was very young and his technical ability is completely different,” he noted.
Deco also highlighted Yamal’s impressive mental strength. He mentioned that Yamal manages to remain calm and unflappable when faced with the pressures of playing for both Barcelona and the Spanish National Teameven on the biggest stages.
That mental toughness, Deco noted, is quite different from what you typically see in young players. “(His mental capacity) is different from what we are used to seeing,” he said.
FC Barcelona Study by Deco
Deco also spoke about the vital role of La Masia, FC Barcelona’s youth academy, in the club’s future. He admitted that when he joined FC Barcelona, there was a notable lack of coordination between the academy and the senior team.
He observed that this imbalance had led to some talented players leaving the club prematurely. However, he is pleased to report that this problem has been addressed and resolved.
“The first thing I did when I arrived was to understand what we had internally. With every top player we bring into the first team, we don’t need to go to the market, so we save money because we train well.”
Deco explained that his first concern upon arriving at the Camp Nou was to assess the club’s talent.
He stressed the importance of promoting top players from the youth academy to the first team, reducing the need to make expensive transfers from the market.
“Barcelona’s success has always been linked to the presence of young players alongside players who have won something but have not yet reached the pinnacle of success.”
Deco cited his own experience at Barcelona, playing alongside stars like Samuel Eto’o and Ronaldinho, as well as homegrown talents like Carles Puyol and Xavi Hernandez.
“This is the balance that we have managed to build. Creating the foundations of the Barcelona of today and of the coming years, that is the great objective,” he explained.
When talking about the type of players Barcelona are looking for, Deco was blunt. He said that while there are many players who aspire to join FC Barcelona, the club is specifically looking for those who are not only eager to play for the team but are also driven by the ambition to win with Barcelona.
“I know there are many players who want to play for FC Barcelona, but we want players who dream of winning with FC Barcelona, which is something completely different.”
“We want players who want and dream of winning at Barcelona, that’s the secret for us to win again and that’s what we’re going to do,” he added.
