Flick sends Yamal stern message after holding Palestine flag at Barca parade

Barcelona wrapped up the La Liga crown in style at the weekend against bitter rivals Real Madrid and Lamine Yamal’s celebrations in the aftermath have got people talking

Barcelona boss Hansi Flick has held talks with Lamine Yamal following his controversial title celebrations. The Catalan giants secured the La Liga crown over the weekend as they beat Real Madrid 2-0.

Barcelona held a celebratory parade in the aftermath in the city, with the whole squad involved. Academy graduate Yamal was front and centre, albeit some of his actions have been questioned.

He was spotted holding a Barcelona shirt with the message “Thank God I’m not Madridista” adorning it. The youngster was also spotted celebrating with a Palestine flag.

Asked about those incidents, Barcelona boss Flick has confirmed that he has talked with Yamal to underline his responsibilities.

He said: “These are things that I don’t normally like. I have talked about it with him and I have told him that if he wants to do it is his decision, he’s 18 years old. We are dedicated to playing football and we have to take into account what people expect from us."

The German added: “When I see people on the street crying with emotion you realize why we are here, and this for me is the most important thing, the first thing.

“I feel proud because it’s about the players, they’re playing a fantastic season that hasn’t been easy, there have been a lot of injuries.

”We’ve improved a lot over the last two months, it’s fantastic and it was the key to our win against Madrid. We are the team with the fewest goals conceded, nobody would have imagined it.”

Yamal has been key to Barcelona’s title success under Flick this season. The teenager has scored 24 goals and provided a further 18 assists in all competitions.

He said: ”It’s incredible. They fans are always with us, on the important days and also on the less important ones. This is the club of our lives. We’ll always be here for them,” he said.

“We love them. We have to value every title and every year that we win because it’s not easy. We’ve gone through some very difficult years, but now we’re enjoying ourselves a lot.

“You think it’s a Monday, people in Barcelona have work, but they’re still here with us. A Champions League parade? Definitely yes. My parents taught me that a man always keeps his word… and we’ll bring it back to Barcelona.”