Flick: In my view, Yamal is for now the best player in the world

After Barcelona beat Real Betis 5-2 away from home to match Real Madrid's record of nine consecutive league wins, head coach Hansi Flick lavished praise on man of the match Lamine Yamal at his post-match press conference.

Yamal was under a lot of pressure today. How did you handle that? Were you concerned about his yellow card?

It was an intense match, but it was also a fantastic game for the fans and everyone who loves football. Lamine’s goal today was simply unbelievable. In my opinion, he is the best player in the world right now, and I’m delighted with his performance. Of course, he is under a lot of pressure. He is only 19 and has played in almost every game for the national team, but he is incredibly focused and gives everything to every aspect of his game. He has been excellent. His performances and attitude are beyond reproach—that is what you expect from a star player.

Based on today's performance, what do you think the team needs to keep doing, and what needs to improve ahead of next Tuesday's match against Paris Saint-Germain?

The priority right now is to recover physically, and then we will see how to manage the players' minutes. We will find the right starting lineup. We are still unsure about Eric's condition, and Jules (Kounde) and Gerard also have some issues, so we will have to keep assessing them. We still have two days, so we will see where things stand then. But in my view, the most important thing is today's match, because it was important to win this game before the next round of league fixtures, and everyone knows that. I am proud of my players' performance today because, as I said before, this was not an easy match.

What did you make of Cucho’s handball and Facundo Bernal’s red card? Was Yamal’s substitution related to his yellow card? What did you say to him?

Given the scoreline on the pitch at that point, we obviously should have substituted him. I told him I was very proud of him because he had played a good game.

You asked three questions—what was the first one again? Ah, the disallowed goal. I can answer that quickly: I haven’t seen what happened, so I can’t make any assessment.

9 wins in 9 matches, 27 points, and 39 goals scored. Your team has set an incredible record. What’s your reaction?

That’s great, of course, but we want to win trophies and be successful—that’s why we play football. We’re focused on winning titles and doing what it takes to achieve that, and we’re working hard towards that goal. Setting records is fantastic, but trophies are what really matter. Our mentality and the way we’re playing are outstanding, and everyone contributes defensively. That’s a real positive—it’s what great teams tend to do.

How is Eric Garcia doing?

We still have to wait for the test results. He thinks it was just a knock, but we won’t know for sure until tomorrow. He felt something wasn’t right near the touchline, so we had to take him off.

As a coach, how do you keep your team hungry for victory? Even with a three-goal lead today, the team was still pushing for another goal in the 82nd minute.

I think we managed the game well today. We made a conscious effort to control the tempo, but that is also how we play. We want to score goals, and I am very pleased with the team's attitude.