Lamine Yamal: 'I don't play for money, I play because I love it' as Barcelona star opens up on football joy

Barcelona star Lamine Yamal says joy — not cash — drives his game

At just 19 years old, Lamine Yamal is already regarded as one of the finest footballers on the planet. But in a candid new interview, the Barcelona and Spain sensation insists the fame, the fortune and the records mean far less to him than the simple pleasure of playing the game he adores.

Speaking to The Guardian, Yamal laid bare his philosophy on the pitch, making clear that his motivation has never been financial.

“The thing is, I love football. I don’t play for money, I play because I love it. Players who obsess over goals or assists don’t enjoy it. I play for the fun: to dribble, to play one touch, two touches, to make a teammate who hasn’t scored score,” he said.

Entertainment over ego

The winger framed his approach around entertainment and happiness — both his own and that of the supporters who flock to see him. He wants to enjoy himself and put on a show, rather than chase individual milestones.

“For the fans’ happiness. To hear the olés. I play for that. I enjoy it. I get home and I say: ‘I’ve had a great time.’ If every player did that, we would enjoy it much more,” Yamal added.

‘You feel like Superman’

Yamal also revealed how the reaction of fans — at both club and international level — gives him a near-superhuman surge of confidence when he gets on the ball. He recalled the atmosphere at the World Cup and the sense of expectation that follows him onto the pitch.

“At the World Cup, you heard it, felt it: when I got the ball, they would stand up, one after the other, all along the row. Like they were saying: ‘Let’s see if this guy is what they say he is.’ At the Camp Nou, people know I’m going to go at someone,” he said.

“That feeling, that expectation, is something you can only experience in sport, being a player like me. It’s like there’s something inside that makes you feel more powerful than anyone and I hope it’s there until the day I retire. There’s a surge around you and you feel like Superman, you feel like Spiderman. You feel spectacular.”

For a teenager who has already shouldered enormous pressure at the very top of the game, Yamal’s message is a refreshingly pure one: the love of football, and the joy of the crowd, is what makes him feel invincible.