"I don't see any red flags in Lamine's behaviour"

Barcelona goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny said he sees "no red flags" in team-mate Lamine Yamal's off-field behaviour and stressed that "his attitude towards football and life makes him the player he is". 

"You can't change people's character. They say Neymar could have achieved a lot more in football if he had a different mentality. But if Neymar had approached football and life differently, he wouldn't have been that Neymar, the one who puts on a show," the Polish goalkeeper reflected in an interview with Polish Youtube channel 'Foot Truck'.

Szczesny insisted that with players who have Lamine Yamal's personality it is best "not to hold them back too much" and "let them enjoy football because "that joy is not only contagious for their teammates, but inspires millions of people around the world".

However, the 35-year-old experienced goalkeeper believes that the onus is on the player's entourage to help him get on the right track. 

"Lamine is only 17 years old. He has the right, even the obligation, to make some youthful mistakes. If he makes them, hopefully they won't have major consequences, but certainly his inner circle will be important for him," he said.

Szczesny believes that Lamine "is still playing street football and will continue to do so for the rest of his career". "Even if he misses a pass or a dribble, he and the defender marking him know that was the only time he missed. And then he gets it right ten times in a row. And he puts on a show. Players like that make people fall in love with football," he added.

Also, when asked which player he thinks should win the Ballon d'Or, he said that Lamine Yamal is the one who gives the most spectacle, but acknowledged that he would give the award to Pedro Gonzalez 'Pedri', whom he said is the player who has "impressed him the most" and "the best this year in Europe". 

"I've never seen anything like this, how he controls the games. He doesn't lose the ball. Some players achieve that by playing safely, but he is always surrounded, he dribbles, filters passes.... If you give him the ball you know he's going to be safe," Szczesny analysed. 

The goalkeeper also praised Pedri's physical change, saying that he is "physically better than before the injury", as he "looks faster and stronger", which allows him to "win duels against much bigger players".