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‘Pants down!’ – Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal hilariously fires back at bizarre Rafael van der Vaart criticism after Spain’s Nations League penalty shootout win over the Netherlands

Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal has hilariously fired back at bizarre criticism from former Real Madrid and Netherlands star Rafael van der Vaart.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Following the first leg of Spain’s UEFA Nations League quarter-final clash with the Dutch, Van der Vaart suggested that teen sensation Yamal is beginning to buy into his own hype – having achieved so much at 17 years of age – and can behave slightly petulantly when things do not go his way.

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THE BIGGER PICTURE

Ex-Tottenham playmaker Van der Vaart said on the back of an entertaining 2-2 draw: “Yamal didn’t seem to take kindly to facing [Jorrel] Hato. These are things I notice: I see things that are starting to bother me a little. Pants a little lower, not making much of an effort, slightly superficial gestures. That’s when I think: if you’re that young, you should be happy with every minute you play for Spain. No matter how good you are, at that age, you have to prove it every minute and in every game.”

DID YOU KNOW?

European Championship-winner Yamal had nothing to prove in the return leg of the contest, but still made a point of figuring prominently in a six-goal thriller that saw Spain prevail in a penalty shootout and book their place in the Nations League semi-finals.

WHAT LAMINE YAMAL SAID

Yamal found the target in extra-time, only to see Spain pegged back once more, and fluffed his lines from 12 yards before seeing La Roja grind out a 5-4 victory on spot-kicks. In an obvious nod towards Van der Vaart’s comments, the youngster posted on social media afterwards: “Pants down, a goal, missed penalty AND IN THE SEMIFINALS HEHEHEHE GO SPAIN!” The winger even included an image of the Dutch pundit in his Instagram carousel.

WHAT NEXT?

Spain are set to face France in the last four of Nations League competition, with that contest taking place on June 5. Yamal will hope to have added to his medal collection at club level by then, with Barca still in the hunt for La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League titles.