Lamine Yamal Downplays ‘Ego’ Concerns Shared by Hansi Flick

Hansi Flick angrily said after tying with Rayo Vallecano there is no room for “egos” at Barcelona.

Lamine Yamal has given his side of the story. / Diego Souto/Getty Images

Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal played down the significance of Hansi Flick calling out “egos” after failing to beat Rayo Vallecano in the team’s last La Liga match.

It was the first setback of 2025–26 after back-to-back wins against Mallorca and Levante. Flick reacted to the result by warning that egos “kill success”, pointing to last season’s historic domestic treble being underpinned by working as a collective.

Now on international duty with Spain, Yamal claimed Flick’s comments were just heat of the moment.

“Everyone has their own opinion. After a draw, you are heated because in the end, you have to win. But I don't think it has anything to do with [egos]. We have taken seven points of a possible nine in difficult stadiums,” Yamal told Spanish broadcaster RTVE.

Hansi Flick was not impressed with his Barcelona players. / Angel Martinez/Getty Images

“We haven't played at home yet. I don’t believe it has anything to do with [egos] but rather it wasn’t our game. We didn’t start with the right intensity. It’s true we made lots of mistakes but it can happen. We just have to recover our level as soon as possible and be ready for the next game.”

Yamal made his senior Barcelona debut at the aged of 15, and was only 16 when he was anointed an international megastar. Turning 18 in July, he is barely out of childhood but lives with the spotlight of the world watching his every move. Yamal has faced growing accusations of arrogance in recent months and came under fire for the choice of ‘entertainment’ at his birthday party.

“I’ve realised that everything that happens in my life will be talked about, and in many occasions, made up because things have [supposedly] happened in my life that I didn’t know about,” he said.

“I don’t care much. In the end, I already said it when I signed my new contract, for both the good and the bad, I only listen to my circle. They are the ones who truly know things and what matters. I continue on my path, I continue with my mentality, which I believe is what has brought me here.”

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