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15 year-old Lamine Yamal was called up to Barcelona's first-team training, Xavi is 'in love' with him
Born in 2007, Lamine Yamal was called up to Barcelona's first-team training.
Josh Lawless
Barcelona have called 15-year-old Lamine Yamal have been called up to first-team training, with manager Xavi Hernandez reportedly "in love" with the youngster.
The Blaugrana's La Masia has produced a plethora of special talents over the years and recently we've seen the likes of Gavi and Ansu Fati follow in the footsteps of Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets and co.
But Yamal, born in 2007, is said to be the one that Xavi, an academy product himself, is obsessed over.
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A number of players turning out for Juvenil A, Barca's Under 19 side, have been training with the first-team of late - with Yamal being one of them.
Yamal is a forward player who possesses an incredible ability to dribble and send defenders to the shops with an array of skill moves.
He has a wand of a left foot and videos of him in action for Barca and Spain's youth team would indicate that he's comfortably a level ahead of those he's playing against.
And he's already playing at a higher age category than he ought to be. Normally players his age would be turning out for Cadet A - Barca's Under 16.
But instead he's sharing the pitch with players four years older than them and tearing it up. Those within the youth set-up at Barca are already talking about him in the same breath as Fati, one of their crown jewels.
Mundo Deportivo's Ferran Martinez says Xavi is "in love" - in a football sense - with Yamal and he and the coaching staff want to "pamper" him.
Ivan de la Pena, the agent of Gavi and Eric Garcia, represents Yamal, who will soon be able to sign his first professional contract.
There has been interest from other clubs but Barca are keen to ensure Yamal's future is in Catalonia.