Lewandowski: Yamal can do whatever he wants on the court at the age of 15 His challenge is how to keep hungry

Lewandow was interviewed by the Times and talked about the generation gap between Yamal and players in different eras. The following is an excerpt from the article.

"Yamar was 15 years old when he first practiced," said Lewandowski. "It was the season-end trial, he played against experienced left-backs as he pleased. I've seen many good players, but they need time. And Yamal doesn't need time. I've never seen such a talent at that age. "

But Lewandowski doesn't hide the generation gap between the age of 37 and his young teammates. After Messi left the team in 2022, he joined Barcelona and admitted that it was difficult to get along with the teenagers. "This challenge is huge," he said. "I come from different generations and have to learn how to draw their strengths. I have been involved in football for forty years, and compared to my generation or even my predecessors, I am completely different now. For example, yelling was an inspiration. Now yelling at this generation, their reaction is no longer 'I want to prove you wrong', but another way of explanation is needed. Must communicate more, they don't like being yelled. Now we need to pay more attention to the psychological level. Not only players, but all of this generation. I don't want to fight, I have to learn. "

This willingness to adjust proves that Lewandowski is not self-centered, but he believes that today's top veterans - 38-year-old Messi, 40-year-old Ronaldo, 40-year-old Modric, 33-year-old Salah, 34-year-old De Bruyne, etc. - will be the last players to shine to the age of 35 or above. Speaking of advice to Yamara, Lewandowski said: "His huge challenge is not next year or the year after, but how to keep hungry in three or even longer. It's not his fault, but in this era of social media full of expectations and attention, it's difficult to keep the pure sense of playing as a child. The schedule is intensive and intense, and no one can keep Yama's current spirit in ten or fifteen years. Even if it drops by 5% in five years, it's impossible to deal with it. I doubt whether the 16-year-old debut can maintain the top level for 20 years. "