In the wake of Barcelona’s resounding 4-0 victory over Real Madrid in El Clasico on Saturday night, teenage sensation Lamine Yamal declared that his team believes they are the best in the world.
Yamal, who became the youngest goalscorer in the history of the fixture, was one of four Blaugrana players to find the net at the Bernabeu, helping Barca extend their lead at the top of the La Liga table to six points after 11 games.
“We believe we are the best team in the world,” Yamal said after the match. “They said we were beating only normal teams. Now we have beaten Real Madrid 4-0 at their home. We’ve proven that we can beat anyone.”
The victory came just days after Barcelona had thrashed Bayern Munich in the Champions League, further bolstering their confidence under manager Hansi Flick, who has overseen a remarkable turnaround since replacing Xavi Hernandez.
Robert Lewandowski scored a quick brace at the start of the second half, before Yamal fired in at the near post and Raphinha added a fourth in the 84th minute. The Catalan giants have now netted 37 goals in La Liga this season, comfortably the most of any club in Europe’s top five leagues.
Flick’s success has also been aided by the emergence of several young talents, with Yamal impressing alongside the likes of Pau Cubarsi, Alejandro Balde, Marc Casado, and Fermin Lopez.
Brazilian winger Raphinha has been in scintillating form, notching his sixth league goal of the campaign against Real Madrid and bagging a hat-trick in the 4-1 triumph over Bayern Munich.
Barcelona now have just under a week to prepare for their next outing, as they host city rivals Espanyol next Sunday. The two clubs are currently separated by 20 points in the La Liga table, underlining the dominance of Flick’s side this season.
As the Blaugrana continue to impress both domestically and in Europe, Yamal’s bold claim about their status as the world’s best team will undoubtedly fuel the growing belief that Barcelona are back to their best and ready to challenge for major honors once again.