Barcelona is enjoying a great season, having achieved a series of positive results that have led the Catalan team to top the La Liga table with 30 points, six points ahead of rivals Real Madrid.
The gap widened after Hansi Flick inflicted a heavy defeat on Real Madrid in the Clasico last week, resulting in a resounding 4-0 victory for Barcelona.
In a surprising turn of events, the Spanish newspaper “Mundo Deportivo” reported that Xavi Hernandez, the former coach of Barcelona, played a crucial role in keeping Lamine Yamal with the team despite interest from Paris Saint-Germain.
At just 17 years old, Yamal, recognized as the best young player in the world, has become one of Barcelona’s most important players since last season and has shown impressive form under his new German coach, Hansi Flick.
The newspaper indicated that Paris Saint-Germain had shown interest in signing Yamal when he was just 15. It was noted that at the age of 16, he was set to sign his first professional contract with Barcelona.
However, Paris returned to negotiate for him, hoping to snatch him away. Fortunately, Xavi’s intervention as the first-team coach at the time led Yamal to sign his first professional contract, preventing Paris from securing him.
Moreover, Xavi convinced Lamine Yamal and his family to commit to Barcelona, assuring them that he would rely on him in the first team as soon as possible.
The Spanish coach fulfilled his promise, and Yamal has since participated actively with the team, becoming one of its stars.