The football community is worried about Yamal.

Yamal says he admires and wants to follow in Messi's footsteps. But fans are increasingly worried that the 18-year-old superstar will become "Neymar the second".

Yamal on the day he officially received the number 10 shirt at Barca - Photo: REUTERS

After much anticipation, the Barca management finally held a signing ceremony and officially presented Yamal with his new contract, along with the number 10 jersey.

A turbulent summer

This ceremony could have taken place a month and a half ago, right after the season ended and before the players went on their summer vacation. But because Yamal wanted his grandmother to be present, and given this reasonable request, Barca decided to postpone the ceremony. At the time, many fans were still praising Yamal as a filial grandson.

But in less than two months, public opinion towards Yamal has completely reversed. It's strange that an 18-year-old player, a rising star in football, could become the target of such pressure, criticism, and relentless attacks all within a single summer. Yamal was simply on summer vacation, but it turned out to be a tumultuous summer.

Fans can probably recall at least three waves of negative news related to Yamal's summer vacation. From his relationship with a girl 12 years older than him, to his lavish yacht party with many other girls.

And on top of that, there were one or two instances of sensitive information about his love life being leaked. It wouldn't have been a problem if this were a seasoned superstar. But at that time, Yamal hadn't even reached adulthood yet.

And then, when Yamal reached adulthood, the real storm hit the young Barca prodigy. Just one day after a warm, simple birthday party with his family, Yamal held another coming-of-age celebration with a "mafia" theme—dark, noisy, sexually charged, and full of controversial stories.

Information about Yamal bringing people with dwarfism to perform at his party was leaked, causing him to face public backlash. Yamal was even sued by the Association for the Protection of Dwarfs (ADEE) and could face severe penalties if convicted of humiliation and exploiting people with disabilities for entertainment.

Should we sympathize with or criticize Yamal?

Yamal's tumultuous summer has begun to change fans' perceptions of him. A year ago, whatever Yamal did, both Barca fans and neutral observers would view him with sympathy. After all, he was still just a young boy, not yet an adult, and bewildered by his sudden fame.

But from around the end of the season, Yamal began attracting "anti-fans" because of his arrogant statements.

By summer, the Spanish football prodigy began to project the image of a "bad boy" due to his tumultuous private life. He was no longer as popular as before among neutral football circles. And Barcelona fans, in particular, began to worry.

Sports psychologist Patricia Ramírez, who has worked with many players in La Liga, warns: "At this age, players are very easily influenced by flattery, money, and freedom. Without a solid management system, it's easy to fall into a reckless lifestyle, affecting both performance and character."

Actually, nothing has gotten out of hand yet. Even the story of Yamal hiring people with dwarfism to perform at her coming-of-age party is still just a controversial topic.

The chances of Yamal being sentenced to prison as the media threatened are almost zero, and many even believe that the groups in Spain are overreacting, given that the boy had just reached adulthood that day.

Jurgen Klopp, who always gives opportunities to young players, once said: "Show empathy for young players. After all, they are just schoolboys trying to figure out how to confess their feelings to a classmate, and they have a bank account with a large balance."

HUY DANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/lang-bong-da-lo-lang-cho-yamal-20250719102050624.htm