Lamine Yamal spat with Barcelona coaching staff member resolved ahead of Atletico Madrid tie

Barcelona’s teenage prodigy Lamine Yamal and goalkeeping coach Jose Ramon de la Fuente have buried the hatchet after a touchline flare-up during Saturday’s tense LaLiga clash at the Metropolitano, ensuring the squad travels to Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final against Atlético Madrid with harmony restored.

Cameras captured Yamal trudging toward the tunnel wearing a scowl while teammates celebrated a vital victory that keeps the Catalans in the title hunt. The 18-year-old winger had twice surrendered possession in the dying minutes, prompting de la Fuente to raise his voice from the technical area. Yamal shot back, “What do you want me to do?” and later brushed off head coach Hansi Flick’s attempt to calm him, gesturing toward de la Fuente as he disappeared down the tunnel.

According to Cadena SER, reprised by Diario AS, the friction melted away on the return flight to Barcelona. Once the adrenaline of the title-six-pointer subsided, Yamal and de la Fuente spoke, shook hands and were even seen joking about the episode thousands of feet above the Mediterranean.

Post-match, Flick admitted he had not immediately grasped the reason for Yamal’s visible irritation but predicted the forward would be ready for mid-week duty. The German tactician underlined the winger’s age while praising his impact: “What we have to understand is that Lamine is 18 years old and what he is doing is extraordinary. When you watch the game again, you see him doing amazing things. He’s only 18. He dribbled past five players and almost scored. He left frustrated. He’s emotional, and that’s a good thing. Sometimes maybe the frustration is with himself.”

With the internal disagreement now settled, Barcelona turn their full attention to the continental showdown at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, where Yamal’s flair is expected to be a key weapon against Diego Simeone’s disciplined Atlético back line.