Erling Haaland sends Lamine Yamal message after Barcelona star stuns in Champions League
Latest Manchester City news as Erling Haaland sends a message to Lamine Yamal after the youngster's thrilling performance for Barcelona in the Champions League
Manchester City striker Erling Haaland was left impressed by Barcelona starlet Lamine Yamal during their 3-3 draw against Inter Milan in the Champions League.
The semi-final first legs took place this week, with Barcelona and Inter playing out a dramatic six-goal thriller at the Olympic Stadium. Simone Inzaghi's side initially raced to a two-goal lead in the first half, but it was Yamal who sparked the comeback for the hosts just minutes after Inter's second goal found the net.
Yamal has enjoyed a remarkable season for Barcelona, having first made headlines during Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph last summer. This term, the 17-year-old has scored 15 goals and registered 24 assists across all competitions for his club.
The teenager, who is a product of Barcelona’s famed academy, is already establishing himself as a star of the future - so much so that even City’s Haaland was watching on in awe from home.
Haaland shared a post on social media platform Snapchat as he tuned into the match. He captioned it with a message about Yamal: "This guy is incredible," followed by the exhaling face and exploding head emojis.
The Norway international has been sidelined with an ankle injury since City’s FA Cup quarter-final win over Bournemouth at the end of March. He has been working through an individual training programme during his recovery, but has now returned to full training - a potentially significant boost for Pep Guardiola in the final weeks of the season.
City’s Champions League campaign came to a premature end, having been knocked out by Real Madrid over two legs in the play-off round following the league phase. In the Premier League, they slipped out of the title race early on, but a run of improved form has put them back in contention for a top-five finish.
Guardiola’s side have just four league matches remaining this season, including fixtures against Wolves, Southampton, Bournemouth, and Fulham. They also have a chance to lift silverware when they face Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final later this month.
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