Sport
Van Basten Urges Barcelona to Move Lamine Yamal to Central Role
Dutch football icon Marco van Basten has urged Barcelona coach Hansi Flick to rethink Lamine Yamal’s role on the pitch.
Reacting to Barça’s 4-3 loss to Inter Milan in the second leg of their Champions League semifinal, van Basten said Yamal’s talent is being underused on the right wing. Despite being one of the standout players, the young Spaniard couldn’t find the net as Barcelona exited the competition after a dramatic two-legged tie that ended 7-6 on aggregate.
Van Basten believes the 16-year-old would have a greater impact if played centrally, where he could get more touches and dictate the game. “It’s a shame he plays wide,” van Basten told Ziggo Sport. “He’s dangerous on the right, yes, but he doesn’t get the ball enough. In the middle, he’d have more control, more chances to influence the match.”
He added that Yamal has already proven he can create and score, but his next step is to become the team’s heartbeat. “A player that good should be at the center of the action,” he said.
Nigerian player Frank Onyeka speaks on the recent match of the Super Eagles against Tunisia and shares what made the difference in our victory at AFCON 2025.
While interviewed, the player stated “I think our game plan worked really well. The way we pressed them high didn’t give them any chance to play, so that is what made the difference.”
Super Eagles defender Calvin Bassey has opened up about a difficult period in his career, revealing that he almost stepped away from football.
Speaking during a recent interview, Bassey shared that he once made a personal promise to himself to quit pursuing football professionally if he failed to secure a spot at a professional club.
“I remember being 15 and going into my final year, and I told myself that if I didn’t get into a professional club, I would quit football. It was that simple,” he said.
“I would just stop pursuing it seriously and only play for fun. Thank God I eventually got a club, because I honestly don’t know where I would be otherwise.”
It has been reported that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) fined Egypt $5,000 following their clash with Zimbabwe for failing to manage post-match media obligations.
It was noted that after the match, the Egyptian players ignored the media. This action was said to be a violation of CAF’s media regulations, which led to the fine being imposed.
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