FC Barcelona’s 18-year-old superstar Lamine Yamal has catapulted himself to one of the most recognizable figures in all of sport. He made waves by helping lead Spain to the UEFA Euro Championship when he was just 16 years old. But the young superstar is currently in a position where he needs to channel Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.
Barcelona faces off against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday afternoon in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals. Madrid defeated Barcelona 2-0 in the first game, meaning Barcelona needs to win by three goals or more to advance to the semis. And Yamal posted a meme referencing James’ 3-1 comeback against the Golden State Warriors in 2016 for inspiration, via Sam Marsden of ESPN:
“LeBron is one of the references that is inspiring me for the game,” Yamal said in a news conference on Monday when asked about his new profile image. “I put it as my photo for that reason. I am thinking about how he did it [in 2016] and hoping for the same result for us.”
Soccer is the world’s biggest sport and Yamal is one of that sport’s biggest stars. And yet, he is still looking to the American basketball legend in James for inspiration at this moment. James leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to that championship happened when Yamal was eight years old, making it likely an important childhood memory in his athletic journey.
Perhaps James will be tuned in at 12:00 p.m. PT on Tuesday when Barcelona takes on Madrid, as he’ll want to see if Yamal can do the impossible and lead Barcelona to the next round of Champions League action.
JJ Redick praises LeBron James for 2025-26 campaign
Lakers head coach JJ Redick was emphatic in his praise of James for what he did in 2025-26. The 41-year-old superstar — in an NBA-record 23rd season — played an important two-way role that constantly shifted throughout the season, He rolled with the punches and had one of his more efficient seasons, which is incredible to think about. Redick spoke about that in preparation for L.A.’s playoff run.
“He had, not a good season, not a great, he had a remarkable season all things considered. You take away the fact that he’s in his 23rd year and he’s 41 years old, he had a remarkable season. The fact that those things are real, and they’re very real in terms of the day-to-day management, it’s unbelievable what he did this year.”
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