Inter Player Laughs at Lamine Yamal After the Match: “The Best in the World…”

Barcelona and Inter Milan played out a thrilling 3-3 draw on Wednesday at Montjuïc, a match full of goals, drama… and plenty of controversy. French referee Clément Turpin couldn’t avoid becoming a central figure, allowing a questionable Barça goal to stand while disallowing a potential match-winner for Inter late on, based on a highly debatable VAR frame.

While pro-Barça media (and their useful idiots in Madrid and elsewhere) hyped up Lamine Yamal’s performance—who scored and led a shaky Barcelona—others weren’t so convinced by the growing calls to award him the Ballon d’Or. At just 17, Yamal has risen quickly through Barça’s ranks, drawing bold comparisons to Leo Messi, but many believe it’s far too early for such talk.

One of those skeptics is Marcus Thuram, Inter’s French striker and a standout in the match. After the draw, which leaves the tie wide open heading into next week’s second leg at the Giuseppe Meazza, Thuram was asked about Yamal. But instead of joining the hype, he responded with a mix of irony and national pride.

“Is Yamal the best player in the world? No, I don’t think so. The best player in the world is French. The second-best, I think, is also French. They are Ousmane [Dembélé] and **Kylian [Mbappé],” said Thuram on Canal+, without clarifying in which order he ranked the PSG and Real Madrid stars.

“Yamal is maybe third,” he added, sarcastically. Thuram had opened the scoring with a stunning backheel goal in under a minute, and Inter doubled their lead before Yamal pulled one back for Barcelona. The match then descended into chaos—a scenario likely to change next week in Milan.

“You can’t stop players like him alone, it has to be a team effort. A 2-vs-1 marking? Maybe 11-vs-1. We’ll see what the coach asks us to do,” said Thuram, referencing the upcoming decisive leg. Inter are looking to return to a Champions League final for the first time in 15 years, while Barça aim to win their first Champions League title in 11 years.

Tie Wide Open

Barça earned a valuable draw against an Inter side that created more danger. The tie is finely poised ahead of next week’s decider in Milan. The last time Inter and Barcelona faced each other in a Champions League knockout round, José Mourinho’s Inter prevailed. They secured a 3-1 first-leg win at home and held off Barça’s 1-0 second-leg victory at Camp Nou. Inter went on to beat Bayern Munich in the final at Santiago Bernabéu, thanks to a brace from Diego Milito.