Hansi Flick talked about Lamine Yamal's unhappy reaction after being substituted during Barcelona's 2-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.
Yamal's unusual reaction on being taken off
Yamal was substituted for Ronny Bardghji in the 89th minute, but the 18-year-old cut a frustrated figure as he walked off the pitch.
Hansi Flick's blunt response
After the game, Flick admitted that Yamal was disappointed about being taken off and jokingly said he will punish if he repeats the same thing next time. He told reports:
“Next time, he'll be on the bench (laughs). It's not a problem for me. He got the yellow card, and there were about five minutes left, so we had to make the substitution, and that's why, and I completely understand his feelings, because everyone wants to stay on the pitch. He's also young so it's pretty normal. I think it's also a good attitude. For me, I have no problem with that. I can totally understand because I was a player, and maybe I didn't show it like Lamine, but he's another type of player, so on another level. So, I totally accept it. Not a problem.”
Lamine Yamal beats Kylian Mbappe
Yamal marked his appearance with an assist, setting up Jules Kounde for Barcelona's second goal. The assist saw him surpass Kylian Mbappe (ten goals and three assists) for the most goal involvements by a player aged 18 or younger in UEFA Champions League history. The La Masia graduate has now been directly involved in 14 goals (seven goals and seven assists).
Having finished as runner-up in the 2025 Ballon d'Or voting, Yamal has continued to prove his potential. So far this season, he has 18 goal contributions in 17 games across all competitions.
Big blow for Barcelona as Lamine Yamal set to miss Champions League clash against Slavia Prague
Barcelona will be missing Lamine Yamal's services in their next Champions League fixture after he picked up a one-match suspension ban against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Yamal was shown a yellow card in the 56th minute for a tackle on Nathaniel Brown. He had already been booked in games against PSG and Club Brugge. As an outcome, he will be unavailable for Barcelona's Champions League game against Slavia Prague in January because of accumulated yellow cards.
In five UCL games so far, Yamal has scored two goals and two assists, and his absence will be significant given Barcelona's current status in the table. The Spanish club sit 14th in the table with three matches to go in the competition's league phase.