Valdano, the former Real Madrid player, coach and director general, shared his conclusions in a column for El País on Saturday after interviewing the 19-year-old, and Marca also picked up the story.
“After interviews there is always a feeling. Mine is that we are dealing with an intelligent lad and there is no reason to worry about his future,” Valdano wrote.
The Argentine, who scored in the 1986 World Cup final, stressed how grounded Yamal remains given everything he has experienced.
“At 19, the real prodigy is having gone far without forgetting who he is,” he said.
Yamal has lived with extraordinary pressure for years. A product of La Masia, he made his Barcelona debut aged 15 in April 2023 and was a European champion with Spain in 2024, having turned 17 the day before the final. His performances, his words and every gesture are analysed in detail, and the scrutiny has fuelled debate about his personality and how he conducts himself away from the pitch.
Valdano believes that behind the media figure there is still a young man aware of where he comes from and what it took to reach the elite.
He also defended Yamal’s honesty against those who question some of his answers, arguing that a footballer has the right to speak frankly.
“He told the truth, the scandalous thing is that it seemed like a sin to us,” Valdano said.
Yamal scored in Barcelona’s 7-2 win over Racing, but not everyone shares Valdano’s view of his standing. Radio MARCA’s José Luis Sánchez has argued: “Lamine has not been either the best at Barcelona, or the best in Spain.”
Valdano’s message is that the person handling all of it deserves as much attention as the player.