Lamine Yamal receives unexpected backing from Real Madrid star amid Spain–Barcelona rift

A Real Madrid player spoke out in defense of Lamine Yamal amid the ongoing controversy between Spain and Barcelona.

Lamine Yamal once again found himself at the center of a dispute between Spain and Barcelona this week, when he had to withdraw at the last minute from coach Luis De la Fuente’s squad to undergo treatment for groin issues that have bothered him recently. In the middle of the criticism, a Real Madrid player came to the defense of the young winger.

“He has some discomfort, and it’s normal for him to go home. I left too,” Dean Huijsen said regarding Yamal’s situation during an interview this week with Marca. The Los Blancos defender downplayed the controversy surrounding Yamal, pointing to himself as an example.

Indeed, Huijsen experienced something similar to the Barcelona star during the October international break. The defender had been called up by Luis De la Fuente for the matches against Georgia and Bulgaria but had to leave the squad due to a muscle injury, unable to take part in either game.

Dean Huijsen’s defense is significant because it speaks to the harmony within the Spain national team squad. A Real Madrid player openly defending a Barcelona player—particularly Lamine—is no small detail, considering the controversies surrounding Yamal during the most recent Clasico.

Huijsen compares Yamal with Vinicius

In the same conversation, Dean Huijsen reflected on how media attention is often counterproductive for players of Yamal’s stature. “Lamine is a normal kid; he’s 18 years old. Sometimes things get exaggerated,” the Real Madrid defender said before using a club teammate as an example.

“The same thing happens with Vinicius, who is an incredible player and a very good guy, but when he does the slightest thing, he gets criticized too much,” the Spanish defender noted. He then offered a pointed message about the role of the media: “If we deserve criticism, give us criticism, but many times it goes too far.”

Dani Olmo also defends Yamal

In line with Dean Huijsen’s comments, another Spain national team player spoke in defense of Yamal. “Lamine always wants to be here with the national team. If he hasn’t been able to be here this time, it’s because he’s not at 100%,” said Dani Olmo, the Barcelona player, on Onda Cero.

“People have questioned his desire to be here, but behind closed doors you can see it’s the complete opposite… There’s no problem; everyone wants him to be at 100%,” the Spanish midfielder added. And like Huijsen, he criticized the excessive attention surrounding every situation involving Yamal: “Lamine is also used to people talking about him.”