Lamine Yamal points to PSV: “He is a player I’ve been following for a very long time.”
1 min readIvan Perisic is despite his 37-year age still always of great value to Croatia. Last Tuesday, Perisic was once again good for an assist.
Despite that, the Croats could not make a fist against world champions Spain. In Seville, after the equalizer, the Spaniards eventually ran out to a 4-1 victory.
During the break, the PSV player provided a remarkable moment by walking over to star player Lamine Yamal and swapping shirts already halfway through the match. ''Perišić came up to me at halftime and said: ‘Normally I’m supposed to wait until the end of the game to ask for your shirt… but I have to do it now. Because everyone will want this shirt by the end of the match after the performance you’ve just delivered.’ I started laughing, because I absolutely hadn’t expected it,'' Yamal told the DAZN outlet after the match.
After that, the Spanish youngster goes on. ''He told me: 'Believe me, I'm taking mine now because I know that after that there will be a line.' Honestly, that was a very nice moment for me. Perišić is a player I've been following for a very long time, so the fact that he said that was special. I gave him my shirt and he gave me his'', said the winger.
Afterwards, Perisic addressed the press conference about swapping shirts with the player from FC Barcelona. ''Today we lost, but at least I fulfilled the dream of my eldest son: wearing Lamine Yamal's shirt. That's why I went to get his shirt right after the first half,'' explains the PSV player.
For the forward, it is also clear who should win the Ballon d'Or. ''Spain was better today and Lamine Yamal is a great player. He deserves the Ballon d’Or; he tormented our defenders for the entire match. But I believe it isn't over yet. We will bounce back in the league. Croatia does not just give up'', Perisic said.
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The funniest part is Perisic straight up going to Yamal at halftime to avoid the chaos at the end. Love that mentality, and ngl it makes me proud he still speaks like a leader at his age. ⚽❤️
"Kroatië geeft zich niet zomaar gewonnen" is the attitude. Only downside is Spain walked through them after the equalizer, so i wonder if PSV's defensive transitions were a big miss even while Perisic had that assist.
"Hij verdient de Ballon d'Or" is bold, but i can see the argument. Still, if Yamal is "teisterd" the defenders all game, PSV should use that as a reminder to stay tight against those half-space dribblers.
Eens. That quote from Yamal, "i didnt expect it at all", thats the kind of mentality you want from veterans. Perisic is peak professionalism, even after a loss.
That quote about waiting until the end unless you have to do it now... bruh, respect. Also Perisic being called out as the guy you can always count on, even when the team loses 4-1.
"Hij verdient de Ballon d'Or" lol Perisic going full hype. But cant blame him, Yamal is cooking. Curious though, can Croatia really "come back in the competition" if Spain ran them like that?
Assist for Croatia again while we were getting roasted by Spain? Frustrating that 4-1 happened, but Perisic still contributed. Imo PSV fans should be happy he keeps being influential even on international nights.
Perišić 37 jaar en nog steeds overal impact, echte slimme assists. Shirt-ruil met Lamine was echt wholesome, maar tbh ik wou dat Kroatië tegen Spanje net wat meer druk kon zetten.
Tbh i love how he explains it, "must wait til the end normally" but he just acts. Also shows that he actually watches Yamal and knows his worth 👀
That shirt swap at half-time was pure class 😂 Even with 37, Perisic is still steering attention like he is 27. Respect.