‘I try not to focus solely on football' - Lamine Yamal reveals how he 'disconnects' from Barcelona pressure

Yamal is arguably the most scrutinised teenager in world football, having broken nearly every record available at Barcelona and becoming a pivotal figure for the Spanish national team. However, the youngster insists that the key to his success lies in his ability to separate his professional life from his personal one. Speaking in an interview with ESPN, the winger explained that he avoids obsessing over opponents or watching endless footage of defenders, preferring instead to live the life of a "normal" teenager when he leaves the training ground.

"I do what any 18-year-old does: hang out with his friends, look after his brother, play PlayStation, go for a walk,... things like that," he said.

“I try to spend time with my friends and live my life. I try not to focus solely on football, not to be constantly concentrating on the match, or watching videos of the full-back I'm facing, none of that. I try to enjoy the whole day and, when I'm on the pitch, give my all, but when I leave the pitch, I do the same, disconnecting from football as much as possible.”

With the 2026 World Cup on the horizon, excitement is building within the La Roja camp. Spain have been drawn into a group alongside Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay, with fixtures scheduled in Atlanta and Guadalajara. For Yamal, the tournament represents another opportunity to etch his name into history, but he is also looking forward to the cultural experience, specifically the food in Mexico.

When asked about playing in Guadalajara, Yamal confessed that while he has never visited the country before, he is eager to sample the local cuisine. "There’s still a long way to go, but the enthusiasm is shared by all Spaniards. We want to win and give our all for the country," he said. "I think I’ll have to try some tacos. I’ve never been to Mexico.”

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In a charming revelation that reminds the world of his tender age, Yamal opened up about his childhood hobbies before he was a household name. Before the PlayStation became a staple of his downtime, the forward spent his time collecting and playing with Pokémon cards. He explained that this interest was born out of financial necessity as much as passion, noting that video game consoles were not always affordable for his family during his childhood.

"At school we played Pokemon cards and all that. Some played Nintendo, but mostly cards. When I was little we couldn't afford a PlayStation or a Nintendo. So we played with my friends in the playground with those cards, which cost one euro," he said.

While Yamal can slice open defences with surgical precision, his skills clearly do not transfer to the kitchen. The teenager, who has 15 goals from 30 appearances in all competitions this season, admitted that his culinary repertoire is severely limited, joking that he is "very bad" at cooking and would struggle to survive if he had to prepare his own meals on a regular basis.

“The truth is, I quit because it wasn’t for me. I was really bad, really bad,” he conceded. “I’ll make you some nuggets with fries, at most.”