Barcelona and Spain teammate Ferran Torres – ‘Lamine Yamal should be banned’ | OneFootball

Barcelona and Spain teammate Ferran Torres has jokingly called on German police to enforce one of the child protection laws on Lamine Yamal, which is being tacitly ignored to allow him to play Euro 2024. The pair are in fine form for La Roja as they head into the Round of 16 against Georgia.

One of the key changes that Luis de la Fuente’s side have been credited with under him is a more direct and aggressive style prioristising the ball much less. Torres, while speaking to Sid Lowe in The Guardian, said that the atmosphere around the squad is one of the keys.

“Maybe we’re more direct that before; we don’t have so much possession. Maybe it’s a little freer. Every coach has his nuance. But more than a style, what you see is that we are friends on the pitch. You see the energy, the connection, the atmosphere: everyone is totally involved. You see us train and it flows. Above all, you feel empathy, synergy. There’s no rivalry; there’s competitiveness, but not rivalry. Of course we all want to play but it’s healthy and that’s super-important.”

The faces of that change have been 16-year-old Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams on either flank, both have been a nightmare for Croatia, Italy and Albania to deal with. Lowe asked for Torres’ opinion on his Barcelona teammate’s performances.

“That he should be banned. What this kid is doing at 16 years of age!”

“Nah, I’ll report him to the police after 14 July. Let him help us win it first. I didn’t know that; I’m going to go and tell him now, wind him up: there’s a joke to be played here. Off the pitch, we spend all day, all together: there aren’t groups. I play darts. I learned in Manchester with Phil Foden and all that lot. I’m not bad, but not as good as them: they’ve been playing years; in the pub with the beer.”

The story relates back to German Child Protection Laws that state under-18s must not work past 20:00 in the evening, something Spain has been doing with Lamine Yamal and theoretically puts them at risk of a hefty fine. There are exceptions for athletes, but that only lasts until 23:00, meaning any extra time would put the Spanish FA at risk.