Yamal emulates Messi, promises to deliver Champions League to Barcelona

Lamine Yamal has made a defiant promise to the Barcelona faithful following their agonising Champions League quarter-final exit, taking to Instagram to vow that he will return the club to the pinnacle of European football. 

Despite Barcelona securing a 2-1 victory on the night at the Metropolitano, they were eliminated 3-2 on aggregate by Atletico Madrid, who successfully defended their 2-0 first-leg advantage. 

Yamal, who had talked a big game before the match by selling the idea of a comeback and promising fans the team would "fight until the final whistle," lived up to his personal billing by scoring a clinical opening goal in the 4th minute. 

However, after Ademola Lookman’s 31st-minute strike effectively decided the tie, the 18-year-old winger posted a message of resilience, stating: 

“We gave it our all but it wasn’t good enough. This is just part of the road: to get to the top you have to climb, and we know it won’t be easy nor will they make it easy for us. But giving up is not an option.”

“We have plenty of reasons to be excited about, and we’re going for them with everything. Every mistake is a lesson, and don’t doubt that we will learn from each one.

“We are Barca, and we will be back where we belong. My parents taught me that a man’s word is always fulfilled... and we’ll bring her to Barcelona.

Yamal’s bold declaration has drawn immediate comparisons to the iconic promise made by Lionel Messi during the 2018 Joan Gamper Trophy presentation. 

On that day, Messi famously told a packed Camp Nou, "We promise that this year we will do everything possible so that this cup, which is so beautiful and desired by everyone, returns to the Camp Nou,” a mission that ultimately failed following the traumatic 4-0 semi-final collapse against Liverpool in May 2019. 

By assuming this mantle of responsibility at such a young age, Yamal is attempting to heal a decade of European scar tissue for a club that has not lifted the Champions League trophy since their 2014/15 treble-winning season.