Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal has insisted he always tries to be “polite and respectful” as he speaks out for the first time since being criticised for being disrespectful to the King of Spain. The
17-year-old sparked controversy following Barcelona’s dramatic Copa del Rey win over Real Madrid on Saturday night over his behaviour towards the monarch during the trophy presentation ceremony.
Instead of shaking the traditional hand of King Felipe VI, Yamal opted to dap (or clap) with the king – wearing two pairs of sunglasses and his shirt backwards. A
dap is an informal greeting, usually involving a round of applause or a brief hug –
but it did not sit well with some social media users, who deemed it inappropriate.
One user on X ทางเข้า UFABET สำหรับสมาชิกใหม่ สมัครวันนี้ รับโบนัสฟรี wrote: “So disrespectful”, while another added: “This kid is really Gen Z.”
Another said: “If a Madrid player did that, they’d be banned.”
Yamal continued to give the same greeting to others in line, including Barcelona president Joan Laporta. Yamal , who reached out to hug the team’s youngster to congratulate him after the victory
ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final first leg against Inter Milan, has taken the opportunity to address the controversy, insisting that he was taught good manners since he was a child.
“I want to be remembered as a good player and a polite person, which is what my parents taught me at home,” he said.