"We suddenly started to suffer" - Former Barcelona star recalls hilarious Lamine Yamal story when the youngster left the pitch in the middle of a game

Former Barcelona midfielder Ilkay Gundogan recalled a hilarious incident with Lamine Yamal during his time at Camp Nou. The German joined the Catalans in the summer of 2023 as a free agent following the expiry of his contract with Manchester City.

Gundogan watched the Spanish starlet explode onto the scene with the LaLiga giants last season. The 34-year-old has now recalled an incident from Barcelona's Champions League game against Porto in the group stage in October 2023.

Speaking on The Ranveer Show, as cited by Barca Universal, Gundogan revealed that Lamine Yamal had to be replaced in the second half due to a bathroom emergency.

“Last season we played against Porto and we were leading 1-0, and everything was going well. In the second half, at the 60th minute, we suddenly started to suffer. I felt that the opposing team became much better as if they had an extra player," said Gundogan.

He continued:

“After 10 minutes I found out that one of our players left the field and went to the bathroom! It was Lamine. Lamine was an important player so the technical staff did not want to replace him immediately, so they were waiting for him to return.”

He concluded:

“When I found out, I said, ‘Guys, what’s going on? We’re playing with 10 men! Don’t you want to make a substitution?’ In the end, they had to make a substitution because they waited so long for him and he didn’t come back.”

Ilkay Gundogan left Barcelona last summer as a free agent to return to the Etihad.

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How many goals has Lamine Yamal scored for Barcelona?

Ilkay Gundogan and Lamine Yamal

Lamine Yamal rose through the ranks at Barcelona and broke into the first team under Xav in April 2023. He was just 15 years, 9 months, and 16 days old, and subsequently became the first team's youngest-ever player.

The Spaniard grew in leaps and bounds the following season, registering seven goals and nine assists from 50 games across competitions for the Catalans. Over the summer, he powered La Roja to the Euro 2024 title.

Lamine Yamal started this season as a first team regular under new Barcelona manager Hansi Flick. While he has suffered with injuries of late, the 17-year-old remains decisive for the Catalans and is among their most important players. The Spaniard has registered 14 goals and 21 assists from 73 games across competitions for the LaLiga giants to date.