Former Barcelona Director Reveals He Deliberately Delayed Lamine Yamal's Breakthrough to Shield Young Star

Ex-Barcelona executive Jordi Cruyff has revealed the club engaged in internal discussions to brace themselves for the massive impact that Lamine Yamal's emergence would create.

Yamal first took the field for Barcelona as a substitute in April 2023 and became a consistent starter in the subsequent campaign. At just 18 years of age, he's already recognized as one of football's brightest prospects and recently marked his birthday by inheriting the club's iconic No. 10 jersey.

Barcelona insiders were certain Yamal would experience such meteoric rise, leading them to postpone his introduction to ensure they were prepared for the transfer speculation he would inevitably attract.

"Xavi was eager to debut him sooner," Cruyff revealed to SPORT. "And we needed to discuss this with Mateu [Alemany, former sporting director].

"We explained, 'Xavi, he's 15 years old and lacks protection. If he features in 10 matches and demonstrates what we witness in training... he has no contract. We're exposing him to the market without securing him first."

Being 15, Yamal wasn't contractually bound to Barcelona and could depart freely at the conclusion of the 2022–23 season after reaching 16. Multiple European clubs were reportedly monitoring a potential free acquisition.

Negotiations with Yamal's agents, Iván de la Peña and subsequently Jorge Mendes, eventually resulted in an arrangement for a contract to be executed when Yamal reached 16 in July 2023, providing Barcelona the assurance required to showcase Yamal publicly.

"Once we confirmed everyone was satisfied, we told Xavi: 'Alright, proceed'," Cruyff added. "Otherwise, his debut would have occurred much sooner.

"His ball skills were extraordinary. His annual development is remarkable.

"What impressed me most was the silent response from experienced players. When he began displaying his abilities, they exchanged glances, wondering: 'What are we witnessing?' Because it was extraordinary."