Lamine Yamal reveals Neymar and LeBron James inspiration ahead of Barcelona’s Champions League clash with Atlético Madrid

MADRID, SPAIN - APRIL 13: Lamine Yamal of FC Barcelona speaks during the Press Conference ahead of the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Quarter-Final Second Leg match against Atletico de Madrid at Estadio Riyadh Air Metropolitano on April 13, 2026 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Barcelona will attempt on Tuesday a massive comeback against Atlético Madrid to reach the Champions League semi-finals, and the team’s best player is drawing inspiration from some of the greats.

Lamine Yamal spoke to the press on Monday to give his thoughts on the match, and he was asked about two of his idols in Neymar and LeBron James. Neymar was one of the stars of the most famous Champions League comeback of all-time, Barça’s 6-1 win over PSG, while LeBron was the author of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ historic 2016 NBA title run in which they overcame a 3-1 deficit against a historic Golden State Warriors team to win the Finals.

Yamal explained how much Neymar means to him as a player, and also revealed why he chose a famous LeBron picture — which has become a meme among Barça fans on social media over the last week — to help inspire the team’s comeback attempt on Tuesday.

“I’ve watched the 6-1 game [against PSG] many times, I saw it live. Neymar has been a huge part of my childhood, he’s my idol and I’ll always be grateful for what he’s given to football. He inspires us all. You pay for a ticket to see him and two or three days after the match you’d watch it again just to see his plays. I want to thank him for everything he’s given to football and I hope he can be at the World Cup.”

“LeBron is one of the role models who can inspire me for tomorrow’s game, and that’s why I’ve included him. I’ll think about how he did it, and hopefully, I can do the same. We have a lot of players on the team; I consider myself just one of them, and I’m not the only one.”

It’s so weird to see Yamal talk about what Neymar meant to him during his childhood, but Neymar’s time at Barça is already a decade old and Lamine was indeed just a kid at that time. You can see Neymar’s style, flair and playmaking ability in everything Yamal does, so it’s not a surprise to see such reverence from the teenager.

As for the LeBron stuff, there’s not a comeback story in any sport this century that is better than the 2016 Cavs, so that’s a pretty good team — and player — to use as inspiration.