Rabat – Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal has explained the thinking behind his eye-catching rabona-style dribble against Galatasaray, attracting salutations from French football legend Thierry Henry after Barcelona’s 4-1 away victory in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Although Yamal did not score, the Spanish international delivered two assists within three minutes at the beginning of the second half, helping Barcelona secure an impressive result in the second round of the Champions League league phase.
One of the most memorable moments came during the move leading to Anthony Gordon’s goal, when Yamal used an unexpected piece of skill to create space and get past a Galatasaray defender.
Henry was amazed by the young winger during an appearance on CBS, congratulating him on his achievements and expressing admiration for his performances.
“What you are doing is incredible, and honestly, I don’t know what more I can say,” Henry told Yamal before asking him how he had executed the rabona-style move.
Yamal reveals the thinking behind his dribble
Yamal explained that the move came from observing how defenders react when he reaches the byline.
“I’ve noticed recently that defenders tend to throw themselves to the ground whenever I reach the goal line, so I started thinking about using a different trick to get past them,” the Barcelona winger explained.
He said he felt the moment was right to try the technique and was pleased that it worked.
The teenager added that he regularly looks for ways to use dribbling and deceptive movements to create space and beat opponents.
Speaking again after the match in the mixed zone, Yamal described the action as something resembling a rabona.
“How can I describe that dribble? I don’t know. I’d say it was something like a rabona. The important thing is that it allowed me to provide an assist for Gordon; it was effective,” he said.
Yamal also acknowledged the difficulty of playing at Galatasaray’s stadium, highlighting the atmosphere created by the home supporters and the pressure Barcelona faced during the match.
“We knew it was an extremely difficult stadium, one of the toughest places to play. We were talking about it in the dressing room, about their pressure and the noise from the crowd. We are very happy with this victory. They are a top-level team,” he added.
Yamal backs Barcelona to win the treble
Beyond his individual performance, Yamal expressed confidence in Barcelona’s ability to compete for all three major trophies this season, which include La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the Champions League.
Asked whether the Catalan club could achieve the treble, the teenager made his ambitions clear.
“Of course, that is always what we aim for. We are Barcelona, and for me, we are the best team in the world,” Yamal said.
His comments underline the club’s ambitions as it pursues domestic and European success under head coach Hansi Flick.
