Atletico president lavishes praise on Barcelona gem – ‘Has a place in any team in the world’ | OneFootball

Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are all set to square off in a clash of the heavyweights later tonight in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-finals.

Ahead of the titanic clash at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys tonight, board members of both clubs met for the traditional pre-match lunch, attended by Barcelona president Joan Laporta and his Atletico Madrid counterpart Enrique Cerezo.

Atletico president hails Lamine Yamal

Following the lunch, Atletico president Cerezo interacted briefly with the media and took the opportunity to praise Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal.

There have been question marks about the 17-year-old’s fitness heading into tonight’s match after he missed training on Monday due to a bruised foot.

Lamine Yamal will be available vs Atletico. (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)

And Cerezo insisted that he hoped to see Lamine in action at Montjuic tonight as the presence of great players on the pitch elevates the match.

“It’s better if Lamine Yamal plays, because what we want to see is spectacle, and spectacle comes from great players,” said Cerezo, as quoted by Jijantes FC.

Further hailing the winger, who was named the La Liga U23 Player of the Month for February, the Atletico Madrid chief claimed that Lamine can play for any team in the world.

“Lamine Yamal has a place in any team in the world,” he stated.

The good news for Barcelona is that Lamine is fit and available for the game and has been called up to the squad by manager Hansi Flick.

Only time will tell whether he is a part of the lineup against Atletico Madrid or begins the game on the bench.