'Thank you for bringing football back!' - Lamine Yamal hailed for making the game 'fun to watch again' after dazzling performance in Barcelona's thrilling Champions League draw with Inter Milan

The former Aston Villa striker was blown away by the teenager's performance against Inter, declaring him the type of player football needs more of. The match, which ended in a 3-3 draw, was a spectacle of attacking football, with Yamal at the heart of Barcelona's attacking performance. Agbonlahor believes Yamal embodies the exciting, fearless approach that is sometimes lacking in modern football.

Yamal, at just 17 years old, has rapidly emerged as one of the brightest talents in world football. He has already broken numerous records for both Barcelona and the Spanish national team, and scored a stunning individual goal on Wednesday night as Barca fought back from 2-0 down to secure a draw with Serie A giants Inter.

Agbonlahor's comments come amid a wider debate about the increasing tactical rigidity in football, with some critics arguing that it stifles creativity and entertainment. He contrasts the current trend of cautious, possession-based football with the more direct, attacking style that he believes Yamal exemplifies.

Speaking on talkSPORT, Agbonlahor said: "All I can think about is Lamine Yamal this morning. Thank you for bringing football back! Thank you for making football fun to watch again. Thank you for whenever you receive the ball, you take on your full-back. Thank you for not receiving the ball and passing it back to the keeper to reset and go again. Thank you for making football fun again. Love that. I mean from one footballer to another, just appreciating greatness.

"Honestly, man, that was the sort of game where if you're a kid out there, a young kid watching, you want to be Lamine Yamal. You don't want to be Vinicius Junior. You don't want to be [Kylian] Mbappe. You want to be Lamine Yamal.

"What I what I get excited about is that he doesn't play safe. He receives the ball on a half turn and there was one clip where he received the ball and he's done like a little chop inside, then he's done this little flip-flap on a half turn and it's like fearless. He's fearless, entertaining, and he'll take his full-back on. That's what I want to see. I'm sick and tired of watching wingers get the ball, take a touch back to the midfielder or back to the defender.

"Let the kid be free. Let players with swagger and players that are fearless and so skillful, let them go and entertain. Look at [Lionel] Messi when he broken into Barcelona. Just got the ball, took players on. Give me the ball. Go again. If I lose it, I don't care. Give it me. I'm going to go again. I'm going to get at players. I'm going to make things happen."

Barcelona will be looking to build on their impressive performance when they return to La Liga action this weekend against Valladolid. Yamal will undoubtedly be a key figure as they aim to continue their push for the title, with Hansi Flick's side currently four points clear of rivals Real Madrid at the top of the table. The in-form winger will also have one eye on next week's second leg with Inter, which takes place at San Siro on Tuesday, May 6.