It's too hard to digest. After decades in which anti-Barcelona sentiment has suffered firsthand from the deeds and miracles of a certain Leo Messi, it turns out that after his departure, a new gem has emerged from the Barça youth academy. Lamine Yamal is left-footed, keeps the ball glued to his foot, makes a difference by making his teammates better, and has become a mass idol. There are too many similarities with the early days of the Argentine star. All of this, even at an earlier age. In his first year at the top level, he showed that he had a more than promising future ahead. After winning the European Championship with the national team and delivering a stratospheric second season with the first team, it's become clear that Barça has a true megastar in its squad for the next decade. In other words, a large part of Madridism is beginning to relive a nightmare that seemed already forgotten.
In this past year, we've witnessed completely grotesque narratives with a single goal: to discredit Lamine Yamal. A bandage on his hand was a suspicious sign of doping. Dyeing his hair blonde, when half of the footballers sport the most extravagant hairstyles, was a sign of immaturity. Four months without scoring in La Liga, despite scoring in three Clásicos and in the round of 16, quarterfinals, and semifinals of the Champions League, was more than enough reason to call his quality into question. Being photographed with a girl 13 years older than him was a national scandal. The latest, undoubtedly the most controversial by far, hiring people with dwarfism for his 18th birthday celebration, has caused a true media earthquake that all the media have echoed, even prompting the Government to open an investigation to find out if the disability law was violated at that party.
I'm not going to defend this practice, but I highly doubt that these kinds of investigations are opened when these people participate every weekend in bachelor and bachelorette parties. Or when they work as entertainers at all kinds of events, nightclubs, and private parties. They offer a service, they're hired for it, and they get paid their fees. Politically correct? Maybe not, but in Lamine Yamal's case, it's an unbeatable opportunity to keep discrediting his image, labeling him as an exploiter and mean-spirited for including people with disabilities in a festive event. The player's inner circle would do well to advise him to make a radical change, a more moderate exposure of himself given his impact as a top footballer, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't ask ourselves the following question: Would the public shaming be the same if it were a Real Madrid footballer?
This is just getting started. While FC Barcelona keeps sailing smoothly on the field and the Rocafonda genius keeps leaving both locals and outsiders speechless with his soccer, the narrative will always be the same. Any detail will be ideal to tarnish the club's image and that of its franchise player, something that Barcelona fans have already gotten used to in recent decades. The harassment and takedown of Lamine Yamal is completely inevitable, something that, unfortunately, can only be fought with titles and displays on the field. Don't doubt it, given how this Barça looks and the future its young star has ahead, you can be sure that's how it will be.