Lamine Yamal responds to Van der Vaart's criticism on social media-24-03-2025

Lamine Yamal was not happy at all with Rafael Van der Vaart's comments, the former footballer of teams like Real Madrid and Betis, who criticized him after the first leg of the Nations League match between Spain and the Netherlands in Rotterdam. The Barcelona winger initially focused on the game itself and, once Spain secured their spot in the Final Four, responded to the Dutchman on social media.

"Pulled-down pants, a goal, missed penalty, and into the semifinals," wrote Lamine Yamal, referring to Van der Vaart's remarks. "Hehehehehe, let's go Spain!"

Van der Vaart's comments that upset Lamine Yamal

While analyzing the first leg in Rotterdam, Rafael Van der Vaart, who has roots in Cádiz, said on NOS television: "Hato made a huge mistake on Spain's first goal, and one thought: where is this going? But our player recovered very well."

However, Van der Vaart also wanted to highlight the performance of the Ajax left-back, pointing out how uncomfortable Lamine Yamal seemed when facing Hato. "There are things I pay attention to: I see things that start to bother me a little. Pants a bit low, not putting in much effort, gestures that are a bit superficial..." he noted.

"It's at that moment I think: if you're so young, you should be grateful for every minute you play with Spain. No matter how good you are, at that age, you have to prove it every minute, every game. But that doesn't change the fact that Hato simply had him in his pocket," added Van der Vaart, downplaying Lamine Yamal, who didn't hesitate to respond.