Lamine Yamal Vows to Win Champions League After Defeat at Atletico Madrid

Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal Reiterates Promise to Win Champions League

Lamine Yamal, an 18-year-old player for Barcelona, has reaffirmed his commitment to winning the UEFA Champions League with the club. The statement came on Wednesday, a day after the team’s elimination by Atletico Madrid in the quarterfinals.

Yamal posted on Instagram that he will not give up and will fulfill his promise to capture the trophy with Barcelona. He stated, “We are Barca, and we will be back where we belong.” Yamal also mentioned that his parents taught him the importance of keeping one’s word, which he intends to uphold.

The team had defeated Atletico 2-1 on Tuesday but lost the first leg 2-0 at home last week. Barcelona is seeking to return to the semifinals for the second season in a row. The club won its last Champions League trophy in 2015 with Lionel Messi as the top player.

Yamal had similar words after the team’s loss to Inter Milan in the 2025 semifinals, stating that he “won’t stop” until he can fulfill his promise to win the Champions League with Barcelona. He has been using a photo of LeBron James holding the NBA trophy on his Instagram profile since early Wednesday.

The team is currently leading La Liga by nine points over second-placed Real Madrid after 31 rounds. Their next match is against Celta Vigo next week. The club’s president-elect, Joan Laporta, expressed disappointment with the refereeing in both legs against Atletico, calling it “shameful” and “inadmissible.” Barcelona plans to present a formal complaint with UEFA.

Coach Hansi Flick stated that his youthful squad will learn from their latest setback, saying, “We have a young team, and they will improve. Every day we have to learn more, we have to be better and this is what we have to do.”

Source: Al Jazeera