Lamine Yamal has explained why he asked to be substituted during Barcelona’s latest win, even after marking the match by scoring his 15th goal of the season.
The teenage winger, who has been one of Barca’s key attacking outlets this campaign, signalled to the bench that he needed to come off and was replaced as the game went on. His request came despite him already having made a decisive impact in front of goal.
Yamal later revealed the reason behind the change, insisting it was not down to any serious issue. He explained that he felt discomfort and did not want to take any risks, with the staff agreeing it was better to manage his minutes and protect him.
Barcelona, who were in control of the contest, were able to see out the result without him on the pitch, while Yamal’s latest strike continued an impressive run that has taken him to 15 goals for the season.
The decision to withdraw him was treated as a precaution, and his comments afterwards underlined that he simply wanted to avoid turning a minor problem into something bigger as the campaign continues.
