Lamine Yamal has become the most exciting young footballer on the planet after shooting to stardom with Barcelona and Spain – but if anyone knows the potential pitfalls ahead of him, it’s Freddy Adu.
The American was hailed as the 'next Pele' after making his MLS debut at 14 and his senior international debut at 16, but struggled to fulfil his potential after spending his teenage years in the media spotlight.
Yamal won Euro 2024 with Spain just days after his 17th birthday and helped Barcelona win La Liga last term, although he is already starting to see media scrutiny ramp up.
Freddy Adu's advice for Lamine Yamal
Adu does see some parallels between himself and Yamal, even if he insists that the Spaniard has already become a better player than he was.
“There are similarities, because he's been heralded at such a young age, and is basically known around the world at this point,” Adu said. “I played as a winger, sometimes on the right, sometimes on the left, mostly in the middle as a 10, but the playing style is similar.
“He’s very skilful, coming in from the right side, cutting in, getting his shots off. His left foot is just sublime. He’s much more polished than I was at the same age.
“I think also obviously at this age he’s already performing at a much higher level than even I was at the time. I mean, he’s won the Euros already!
“He has been fully integrated into the Spanish national team. He’s performing very well, he’s a regular starter and essentially one of the best players on that team.
“He plays for one of the biggest clubs in the world, he grew up in the youth system over there, he’s been in that system, he knows that system. He’s comfortable there, so everything has all worked out perfectly.”
Being a teenage superstar brings with it unique pressures that Adu is well placed to understand.
The American started to receive criticism as he reached the height of his fame, and Yamal’s life is being covered widely, too – this summer, reports suggested he’d gone on holiday with a woman who was 13 years older than him.
“Obviously, all eyes are on him all the time, and that’s hard, that’s really hard,” said Adu, speaking in association with Kasinohai.
“For me personally, I couldn’t just be a regular kid, and this is coming from someone in America. Football isn’t even the biggest sport here!
“Yet I was going through that. I can't even imagine how it is for him over there in Spain. It’s probably just magnified 1,000 times, because that is the national sport.
“He plays for the biggest team, it’s the national sport, everywhere he goes, everything he does, all eyes are on him, and that’s hard. As a young player, when you’re put in a situation like that, it’s just very, very difficult to handle.
“My advice would be for him to just put his head down, train and just focus on his craft, because there will be a lot of distractions. I'm sure there are right now.
“I mean, there’s been some stuff in the newspapers that I’ve seen where he was with a woman that was way older than he was on vacation, and everybody’s talking about it. Every little thing he does is going to be talked about.
“If you’re going to go on holiday with an older woman, just make sure the only person you go with is your mother! Because at this point, no matter what you do, it’s going to get talked about, and it’s a lot of distractions.
“So you don’t want to let that become your whole narrative surrounding you as a player. You don't want that. You wanted to be focused on the field.
“When I was young, I made a lot of mistakes. I was young, and I made mistakes. I hung out with some friends and somebody took a picture of me out at a party or whatever, and it became a big deal. I didn’t think it was, but it became a big deal.
“Then the narrative becomes that you’re not focused on your game, that you’re just out here hanging out with your friends and partying.”
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