JAKARTA - Lamine Yamal replied to Rafael van der Vaart's satire saying "the pants were loose" after helping Spain beat the Netherlands in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Nations League on Monday, March 24, 2025.
Yamal scored Spain's third goal in a tense 3-3 draw at the Mestalla Stadium, Valencia. La Roja won on penalties and advanced to the semifinals.
The 17-year-old missed a penalty in a 12-kick shootout.
However, he still responded to former Dutch international Van der Vaart, on social media after the match, who criticized him for his attitude and for wearing shorts before the match.
"Short shorts are loose, goals, missed penalties and are in the semifinals. Come on, Spain!" wrote the Barcelona winger on Instagram.
Yamal's upload includes a series of photos, one of which features Van der Vaart's face next to a picture of himself walking off the pitch after a win in shorts pulled lower than usual.
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"I saw things that started to bother me a little bit. The pants were a little lower, didn't really try, the movement was a bit shallow."
"That's when I thought, if you were that young, you should be happy with every minute you spend on Spain."
"No matter how great you are, at that age, you have to prove it every minute and in every game," Van der Vaart said of Yamal after the first leg, which ended in a 2-2 draw at Rotterdam, Friday 21 March 2025.
Even though he is old, Yamal is never ashamed to respond to criticism from senior players or retired players.
He once asked Adrien Rabiot to speak after removing France from Euro 2024 last summer following comments made by the midfielder before the match.
Yamal had a tense moment in a penalty shootout against the Netherlands after seeing his penalty kick pushed over by Bart Verbruggen.
However, Unai Simon parried a penalty for Donyell Malen and Pedri then scored a winning shot to take Spain to the semifinals.
"I said to him, a bad penalty. But no, you learn from this situation. It is not affected by pressure and you have to take a penalty to fail to do so."
"His calm always surprises us. As if there is no pressure for him when you see his convenience dribble and how he plays. He is someone we have to take care of and most importantly enjoy," Pedri joked about his message to Yamal after the penalty failure.
Meanwhile, Pedri and Yamal are part of Barcelona players who are now facing rapid changes.
They had to rush back to the club for a La Liga match rescheduled for Friday, March 28, 2025, against Osasuna.
"We are a little tired, but we are Barcelona. If they say we have to play on Friday, we will. We will give everything to win La Liga," said Pedri.
The match against Osasuna could be decisive in the race for the La Liga title. Barcelona are currently at the top of the table with the same points as Real Madrid, four points ahead of Atletico Madrid, but still have one game more.
However, they are likely to play without Ronald Araujo and Raphinha. You see, the two players will take action on Wednesday, March 26, 2025 in the 2026 Conmebol World Cup Qualification Zone.
Other club international players should have returned on time. Spain U-21 allowed Fermin Lopez, Pablo Torre, and Gerard Martin to return to their clubs early and miss Wednesday's match, March 26, 2025, against Germany in a friendly.
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