Lamine Yamal cites Neymar’s influence as Barcelona prepare for UCL comeback, makes World Cup plea

Barcelona, Spain – With 24 hours until the most important 90 minutes of Barcelona’s season, 18-year-old winger Lamine Yamal has emerged as both the team’s loudest voice and its primary hope of overturning a two-goal deficit against Atlético Madrid in the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.

Speaking to reporters at the Ciutat Esportiva on Monday, Yamal leaned on history—both football and basketball—to frame the challenge awaiting his side at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano. He referenced LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 2016 NBA Finals comeback, but the touchstone closest to his heart remains Barcelona’s 2017 Remontada against Paris Saint-Germain, a night when Neymar’s two goals and stoppage-time assist for Sergi Roberto produced the largest turnaround the competition had ever seen.

“I have seen it many times; I have seen it live as well,” Yamal said of that 6-1 second-leg classic. “Neymar is a player who defined my entire childhood—he is my idol—and I will always be grateful for what he has given to football.”

Yamal’s admiration extended beyond nostalgia. With the 2026 World Cup on the horizon, the teenager issued an impassioned plea for the Brazilian forward to be included in his national squad. “He is the kind of player you pay for a ticket to see; three days would pass after a match, and you’d watch it again just to see his plays. I hope he can be at the World Cup.”

The forward’s reverence for Neymar has shaped his own journey. Although comparisons to Lionel Messi trail Yamal after every dribble and diagonal run, he consistently redirects credit toward the Brazilian, whom he met in person last June on the eve of the current campaign. That encounter, Yamal admitted, “reaffirmed everything I believe about flair, joy and taking risks on the pitch.”

Risk is precisely what Barcelona require on Tuesday. A 2-0 loss at the Spotify Camp Nou last week—compounded by a straight red card to centre-back Pau Cubarsí—means Hansi Flick’s men must score at least twice while nullifying Atlético’s away-goal advantage. Despite the mountain to climb, Yamal exuded confidence. “I like it when these moments arrive because this is when the real players show up,” he said, referencing early-season criticism that followed his recovery from pubalgia.

Atlético manager Diego Simeone has built his reputation on stifling such ambitions, yet Yamal welcomed the individual duels that await. “I back myself one-on-one,” he warned. “If they leave space, I’ll take it; if they double up, someone else will be free.”

Barcelona’s dominance in possession during the first leg—down to ten men for 45 minutes—offers encouragement, as does Juan Musso’s man-of-the-match performance in the Atlético goal. Yamal struck the woodwork twice and forced the Argentine into a string of reflex saves, evidence that the tie is far from closed.

The winger’s résumé supports his bravado. He scored against France and created the winner versus England during Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph, then carried the attack in last season’s Champions League semi-final against Inter Milan. Now, with another season-defining fixture beckoning, Yamal appears ready to author his own chapter in Barcelona folklore.

Whether that story includes a fairytale comeback remains to be seen, but the protagonist has already chosen his inspiration: a Brazilian magician who once turned 0-4 into 6-1, and a basketball icon who proved no lead is safe. If Yamal and Barcelona conjure something similar, Neymar will be watching—and, according to his protégé, deserves to be on the world’s biggest stage again in 2026.