Ahead of the derby, rival taunts Lamine Yamal: ‘I’d stomp on him’

On social media, the Barcelona star responded to Pere Milla.

The atmosphere for the derby between Espanyol and Barcelona , ​​scheduled for Saturday (3), at 5 pm (Brasília time), for the 18th round of La Liga 2025/26 , reached maximum levels of tension after statements by striker Pere Milla. During his participation in the satirical program ” Perico Que Vola “, on the Betevé network , the Periquiros player was asked by a fan who he would prefer to step on during the classic: his former teammate Joan García or the young star Lamine Yamal. Amid laughter and applause from the audience, Milla did not hesitate in his answer.

“I think it’s at Lamine,” the athlete stated, going further after one of the presenters suggested the phrase would make headlines. “Pere Milla is going to step on Lamine Yamal,” the striker added, in a challenging tone.

The comment generated strong indignation among Barcelona fans, even though the context of the program was humor and satire. During the show, Milla also participated in a segment where she kicked balls at a cardboard cutout of Joan García, the club’s former goalkeeper, whose return to Espanyol’s stadium was already seen as a critical security issue.

Always active on social media before big games, Lamine Yamal didn’t let the provocations go unanswered. The 18-year-old posted a series of Instagram stories reminiscing about the goal he scored against Espanyol last season in Cornellà, which helped Barcelona secure the league title. In one of the photos, Yamal wrote “wanting to go back” and included a standing emoji, which was interpreted by the Spanish press as a direct response to Pere Milla’s comments about the stamp.

Yamal’s behavior follows a pattern typical of athletes in high-pressure games. The player had already used a similar tactic by posting messages before facing France in the European Championship—following criticism from Rabiot—and before crucial matches against Real Madrid and Chelsea. Sources close to the athlete claim that, although he receives help in producing videos, the ideas and photos he posts come from his own initiative as a form of motivation.

Given the provocations and recent history of pitch invasions in past derbies, the match was declared high-risk. Espanyol announced exceptional security measures, including exhaustive access controls and the installation of nets behind both goals to prevent objects from being thrown onto the pitch. Authorities are also focused on protecting Joan García, who is expected to face a hostile environment upon his return to his former club.

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick confirmed that Lamine Yamal will be available for the match, despite the player having been spared some training sessions during the week as a physical precaution.