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Rafael van der Vaart had criticized Yamal’s character and his performances.
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Following his goal against the Netherlands, the young player responded with a post on Instagram.
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Spain superstar
Lamine Yamal
responded to Rafael van der Vaart with a taunting message following their elimination of the Netherlands from the tournament.
Nations League
on Sunday.
Yamal scored an impressive goal during extra time but missed his penalty as Spain won the shootout 5-4, advancing them to the semifinals.
Van der Vaart has gained notoriety for his harsh critiques of fellow players and directed such criticism following the conclusion of the first leg, which ended in a 2-2 draw.
The former
Tottenham
Yamal was criticized by Star for being ‘superficial’ and ‘not putting in much effort.’ He also mentioned that Yamal’s pants were worn ‘a bit low’ and noted that Yamal had difficulty competing against left-back Jorrel Hato.
And Yamal, who was just 17 at the time, held his own and even countered Van der Vaart’s remarks by turning them back against him.
‘Shorts off, one aim, failed spot-kick, yet into the semis. Hehehehehe, come on Spain!’ he posted on Instagram.
Given that Yamal has scored 13 goals and delivered 17 assists this season, coupled with Barcelona’s prospects for winning both LaLiga and the Champions League, it’s difficult to be overly critical of him.
The young player has already surpassed his statistics from the previous season, a period during which he gained widespread attention across Europe due to his standout play at Euro 2024.
However, this did not prevent Van Der Vaart, who previously played for Real Madrid as well, from criticizing him lately.
Van der Vaart mentioned to NOS, “It seems Yamal isn’t adapting well to confronting Jorrel Hato. Here’s what catches my eye: some details are beginning to concern me slightly. His pants are a bit low, he’s putting in less effort, and his gestures appear somewhat insincere.”
That’s when I reflect: If you’re so young, you ought to cherish every moment you spend playing for Spain.
Regardless of your skill level, when you’re that young, you must demonstrate it consistently in each moment and in every match.
‘However, that doesn’t alter the reality that Hato had him firmly under his control.’
Spain advanced to the Nations League semi-finals following a dramatic penalty shootout win over the Netherlands despite their 5-5 draw. They will now go up against France in the next round.
On Sunday, there was an abundance of goals, with a total of 21 scores spread across the four matches.
France managed to advance via penalties despite overcoming an initial 2-0 deficit against Croatia. Meanwhile, Portugal overturned a 1-0 loss with a decisive 5-2 victory over Denmark following extra time. In another match, Italy fought back from being down 3-0 against Germany but ended up drawing at 3-3; however, they were eliminated 5-4 overall due to their earlier shortfall.
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