Andres Iniesta: Lamine Yamal’s Barcelona displays are ‘not normal’

Andres Iniesta has described what Lamine Yamal is producing for Barcelona and Spain at the age of 19 as “not normal”, saying the teenager’s ambition and spontaneity point to an outstanding future.

Speaking to Mundo Deportivo, the Barcelona and Spain legend said: “What Yamal is doing is not normal, because if it were normal, there would be more players capable of doing the same thing.”

Iniesta believes Yamal’s greatest qualities include the way he approaches the game without losing his ambition.

“It is something abnormal, and the beautiful and important thing about it is the ambition he has, as well as his spontaneity,” Iniesta said. “If you stop to think about what awaits him at this age, his future looks extremely bright.”

Iniesta was also asked whether signing Rodri would give Barcelona the extra quality required to challenge for European honours.

“Yes, definitely,” he replied. “Having a player like Rodri undoubtedly raises the team’s level.”

He added: “A player of Rodri’s level, with the importance he has within the team and his understanding of the game, would certainly give Barca another step up in quality.”

The former Spain midfielder was then asked which current player most resembles him as a coach.

Iniesta said he particularly admired the midfielders already at Barcelona, highlighting Pedri, Fermin Lopez, Dani Olmo and Gavi.

“I really like Pedri. I absolutely adore him,” he said. “But I also like Fermin Lopez a lot, I like Dani Olmo a lot, and Gavi as well.”

Rather than identifying one player as the closest comparison, Iniesta said several of them represented the qualities he most values in a footballer.

“I think that instead of saying this player or that player is the closest, you could say that these players possess the best qualities,” he said. “Or at least, from my point of view, when you ask me what I want a footballer to be like, these three, for example, represent exactly the type of player I like.”

The comments underline Iniesta’s admiration for Barcelona’s current midfield options, while his assessment of Yamal reflects the exceptional standards he believes the teenager is already reaching at 19.