Exclusive Miguel Nadal Interview: Yamal, Messi & Real Madrid Future

Speaking exclusively with BetBrothers.uk, Barcelona icon Miguel Angel Nadal has given his thoughts on Lamine Yamal, Hansi Flick, Lionel Messi and more.

The former Spain international, who starred in Barca’s Dream Team era, has also discussed the future of Marcus Rashford and potential Real Madrid interest in Luis Enrique. Nadal, the uncle of legendary former professional tennis player Rafael Nadal, has also spoken on why his nephew is a Real Madrid and his potential future within football.

How impressed are you with the emergence of Lamine Yamal? Could he win the Ballon d’Or in the coming years?

First of all, Lamine Yamal is a player who has surprised everyone with his continuous growth. When he broke through, he was very young, 16 or 17, and he already surprised you with the way he played.

But now what surprises you is the evolution he’s showing. As the season and the matches go by, you see a player who can make a real difference in football compared to the others.

How do you view the tactical approach under Xavi Hernández compared to your time at the club?

When Xavi came, we already knew him as a player. He established a consistent 4-3-3. I think he arrived at a very complicated time for the club , there were many problems and there was a shortage of big-name resources.

He did win a league title and, I believe, the Super Cup. He was one of the first to really commit to the cantera. Barcelona has always fed mainly from the academy structure linked to the first team, even alongside signings. He introduced players, but tactically I don’t think he had the right personnel to execute that 4-3-3 system effectively. I also think he lacked the technical side to adapt to the circumstances of the players he had.

He needed a bit more maturity to make it work. His spell was good given the club’s situation, but towards the end it deteriorated, and I believe his departure was the right decision for Barcelona. That doesn’t mean he’s a bad coach, I just think he needed to adapt his system more to the players available.

Barcelona are out of the Champions League. Where do they need to improve if they want to be European champions next season?

The Champions League is the big goal for the major clubs. The outstanding potential each year is with Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern and the English teams, who have a different financial edge.

Time passes quickly, but we also forget very quickly what Barcelona were like four years ago, when the team was practically dismantled and a new, very young squad was built.

I think this year Barcelona genuinely had a great chance of winning it. What do they still lack for me? A more solid defence. At a collective level, when they face matches, they don’t mind carrying the weight of the game.

They control the play, they have attacking resolution and a good average of goals scored per match, but they concede quite a few on the counter-attack, and in Europe that is crucial. They have a style that is risky at times. Even against Newcastle, whom they beat, they conceded goals. In Europe, once you reach the quarter-finals, semi-finals or a possible final, you need more defensive solidity.

If you could give this Barcelona season so far a score out of 10, what would it be and why?

With Flick the team has changed what it transmits and there is a very positive feeling of identification with the style of play. Barcelona have had some dips during the year, but they have played an attractive, different kind of football that excites the fans, and then there are the results.

They will win the league. They reached the Champions League quarter-finals (they could have gone further) and something similar happened in the Copa del Rey. Overall, the style of play and the results have been very high.

What did losing to Atlético de Madrid tell us about Hansi Flick and this Barcelona team?

From the very first day Hansi Flick showed his cards, an ambitious team that plays with a very high defensive line. That carried a certain risk, but little by little they have adapted, although they still take high risks.

I think the harmony between the coach, the players and the fans is very good. They have been polishing things gradually, especially defensively, but they still take many risks in Europe.

Spanish football is attractive, but the differences are noticeable when you play in Europe. If you want to reach the final or win the title, they need to become a bit more solid defensively. And that’s not exclusively the defence, it can also be in midfield. But I think Barcelona in the coming years will be a clear contender for the Champions League.

Given the rumours that Flick may retire this summer, should Barcelona look at beating Real Madrid to make an offer to Jürgen Klopp to become manager?

Jurgen Klopp has always been a recognised coach who is attractive to big clubs. The main thing for Barcelona is that, naturally, nobody is indispensable, but I doubt Hansi Flick will leave. The results have backed him, the club is attractive and sportingly there is more joy than disappointment. It would surprise me a lot if he left Barcelona this year.

Who would be your pick to be the next Barcelona manager after Flick if not Klopp?

The coach who comes in has to understand that there is already an established philosophy and style of play, mainly marked by Johan Cruyff. This style has created a system in which academy players are prepared to step up to the first team. So the next coach has to follow this identity quite closely.

There are obviously great coaches today, but I wouldn’t look very far. I think Unai Emery already has all the experience and could be a serious candidate.

What’s your prediction for Barcelona vs Real Madrid on 10 May? Will that be the game that wins Barca the La Liga title?

It’s always a special derby against Madrid. The points difference between Barcelona and Madrid in the league is quite wide, so that’s what’s really at stake. It’s always a rivalry, but there’s that extra spice of whether Barcelona can clinch the league in this match.

I think it’s more for the fans than for the players. The players have the ambition and the objective of winning the league. If they beat Madrid it adds the extra rivalry factor.

But a Barcelona-Madrid match is always attractive. Madrid this year have not lived up to the potential of their squad. It will be a special match with the excitement of knowing whether Barcelona can seal the title. It’s Barcelona’s to lose.

Has Marcus Rashford shown enough for Barcelona to want to sign him permanently or were you expecting more from him?

When he has started he has performed well, and when he has come off the bench he has responded well. He hasn’t been controversial, every time he has played he has been involved. He’s quick, he scores goals and I think his performance has been very solid.

It will depend on the club’s plans, but if there are no doubts he is a player who can easily stay at Barcelona.

If Barcelona and Manchester United can’t agree a deal, where do you see him playing next season if not at Barcelona?

He has adapted very well to the Spanish league. He is still young at 28, I think the effort should be mutual, both from him and from Barcelona. It is worth trying to keep him.

It’s true that at United he didn’t have space. I think both sides will have to give a little. I think the transfer is around €35 million (£30million). It’s a bet that depends a bit on Barcelona’s financial situation, but he is an interesting player who could fit at many clubs.

Manchester United are starting to improve now, but it has been many difficult years. They have been a reference club for a long time, investing heavily, but they haven’t found a consistent style. Many coaches and players have come and gone.

It was a bit like Barcelona at certain moments, they lacked stability. Now it seems they are slowly putting the key pieces back together. But this is also a financial game. Rashford’s performance has been very solid.

Manchester have an asset they will try to sell. I see it as complicated for him to stay there, mainly because of the limited adaptation he had at the time. But in football everything can change.

Does the current squad lack the hard-man leadership that you and players like Puyol provided? Who must Barcelona add to this group to bring back that steel?

Last year Iñigo Martínez left, he was a player who brought that seriousness and weight of a hard worker. Barcelona have had some injuries at centre-back, but I think this is the area where they need to reinforce.

First I would look at the cantera. Barcelona has always worked that way. Everything depends on the club’s potential and finances. When Barcelona were at their lowest and in crisis, they turned to the academy and it restored the lucidity of a great club.

So you don’t necessarily have to go for a player like the one from Liverpool or Bastoni from Italy. Those can guarantee quality, but today big signings are expensive. Within Barcelona’s structure there could be some sales to create a budget and then sign a recognised player. But at the same time it doesn’t have to be something very special. He just needs enough character.

Those already there… Andreas Christensen has been injured, but with a departure from Araujo or Christensen you could generate funds to invest later. There are already recognised players, but Barcelona have also brought through academy players at certain moments, almost thanks to the courage of the coach who has given many young players their debut.

Maybe you can find a reference there. It depends on the gamble you want to take, but yes, I think reinforcement is needed.

Is that the hard-man role the one that someone like Rodri is destined to fill at Barcelona if he were to make the move?

Rodri fits in many places. Great players either fit or you make them fit. He is a point of reference and stability that Barcelona have always had. We can use Pep Guardiola as a reference. At the time there was Sergio Busquets.

Now there is more dynamism because they don’t have that player in front of the centre-backs who balances the team. Rodri naturally makes those differences and shows the intelligence to manage a match.

Barcelona also have Frenkie De Jong in that area, a different profile, and Pedri, who are great players, but it’s a slightly different concept.

Would it be hard for Marc Cucurella to say no to Barcelona if the club approaches him in the summer?

Marc Cucurella is already a well-known player. He performed at a very high level in the national team and at Chelsea. Full-backs are now fundamental, you need an attacking threat with range and good decision-making about when to go forward.

But Barcelona don’t really need a full-back in that sense. The great or good players always come to reinforce, but I don’t think that is the area Barcelona need to strengthen. I imagine Cucurella still has some years left on his contract, so it would be a transfer. Therefore I don’t think he is the first option or priority for Barcelona.

What did you make of the Real Madrid players and their reactions to going out of the Champions League?

Real Madrid’s elimination was almost the final moment of their season. Madrid and Barcelona need titles. Madrid had the Champions League as their main priority.

This year, despite having a good squad, too many things accumulated and Madrid didn’t perform at the required level. When Madrid were in the Champions League it forced the players to step up and find another rhythm. I think there was some frustration from the season.

In the tie against Bayern, who were possibly superior in the first leg, Madrid still showed they have potential. When you lose, apart from the elimination, the score went 0-1, 1-2, 1-3 or 2-3, they equalised the tie and then the red card to Camavinga.

If you analyse it, I doubt it was decisive, but it was a bit absurd. When you play with one man less and they score, there is the frustration of the player when he doesn’t achieve the objectives. Madrid knew how to lose. I think they had their chances and the reaction is understandable within the pressure of football.

Does it cast a shadow over Spanish football to see such big names acting out to the media in such a way?

I think nowadays the image of all teams is fundamental, what you want to convey both in football and in general. We have seen more absurd things, but it is more elegant when you have lost to know that you tried everything.

The reactions of certain players can always be improved, but it is not a matter of excuses, it is because of the current media pressure.

Can Diego Simeone take Atlético to the Champions League trophy at last this season?

Of the four teams left, I think Atletico have the least chance. The potential of Bayern and Paris Saint-Germain is higher. Arsenal are evident. They have the home advantage in England. I see it as complicated. If they get the results they can reach the final. But it’s an objective, a hope.

Atletico is a historic club that has gone through many different situations. They will have their chances, but it will be difficult. You never expect Champions League semi-finals to be easy. If they reach the final they will compete, but today I make Bayern or PSG the favourites.

Diego Simeone has been linked with Arsenal and Chelsea if he leaves Atlético this summer. Do you think it is likely he will leave to seek a new challenge after this season?

Diego Simeone’s relationship with Atlético de Madrid is special and unique. It is rare for a coach in Spain to last so long. People find it hard to imagine Atlético without Simeone and vice versa.

Atlético have made big investments and built a good team with aspirations. This has changed, but you almost wouldn’t see Atlético without Simeone. Everything has a wear-and-tear factor. I doubt the moment has come.

I saw him more likely in Italy than in England, but today the Italian league has dropped a lot. I think he has been evaluated highly and I see him more likely to continue at Atlético. It will also depend on how the season ends. They recently reached the Copa del Rey final (they lost) and now reaching the Champions League semi-finals or final would be very important. It is difficult for me to imagine Atlético without Simeone.

What do you think of the rumours that José Mourinho could return to Real Madrid this summer?

Real Madrid, despite having a great squad, have seen the balance shift over the last three years. While Barcelona’s crisis has eased, Madrid, with their young and promising squad, have become less solid. They found an almost ideal coach but he left and is now in Brazil. Carlo Ancelotti’s last season was not brilliant and a change was made that didn’t quite work. A good coach was there, but being at a big club requires more than football knowledge — you have to know how to adapt, and Madrid is different.

There aren’t many coaches who could get the whole squad in the right condition to demand the maximum. Nowadays Madrid have been let down in many games where you saw a team that could do more but didn’t. The team has potential that needs to be unlocked.

I thought it was difficult to imagine Mourinho returning, but today I see him as one of the serious candidates.

Would it be exciting to see Jürgen Klopp in La Liga even if he does join Real Madrid?

Yes, it would be exciting to see Jurgen Klopp at Real Madrid. Apart from that, today you also need a point of reference. It is difficult to appoint a coach who doesn’t carry weight.

But it would be too explosive. Football gives many twists. It is true that when one struggles… but at a certain moment you need a guy with a special personality.

How did your nephew Rafael Nadal become a Real Madrid fan when you are such a Barcelona legend?

When I went to Barcelona, he must have suffered in more than one match because we had a very good period and he had to suffer with the results a lot. But he stayed a Madrid fan. It has its charm.

With the years, this rivalry… I played for Barcelona and there is that spicy rivalry, but you see the sport differently and without doubt I am not anti-Madrid. When Madrid have won the Champions League I have been happy.

When I have seen them play well I prefer Barcelona to win, naturally, but for the merit of playing well. When Madrid have played and offered a good spectacle you have to recognise it. But yes, he is a Madrid fan.

How good of a footballer could Rafael have become had he chosen football instead of tennis? What would have been his best position?

Could he have been a footballer? He had very good conditions. He had a great character. He probably had the qualities to be a professional player, but he retired very early. We couldn’t predict a career.

You can understand he had the physical qualities and also the mental ones. He could have been a project for a good professional footballer. He is left-footed and would have been an attacking midfielder. Yes, he would have been a good player.

Could he have been a Ballon d’Or winner in football given how talented he was as one of the greatest tennis players of all time?

There are players who have won a Ballon d’Or, but there are other great players who have never won one. If he had reached professional football, which he could have, but winning the Ballon d’Or… I don’t know. If he had scored some goals it would already be more complicated.

What do you make of talk that Rafael could one day step up into a role at Real Madrid given his connection to the club?

I don’t think it’s something that should happen, but I think it would give him a certain satisfaction. Besides, he is very knowledgeable, not necessarily, but he knows all the players of all the teams.

He has a criterion and sometimes I disagree with him on his predictions for certain players. It is evident he has a passion for football and for Madrid. I see it as quite distant, it’s complicated, but at a certain point it could be possible.

Could he end up on the board or even become the heir to Florentino Pérez?

Florentino has marked a brilliant era for the club and I think he continues to be a great president. It is evident that when a company has results there is always wear and tear.

I see him in different places because he has a very valid understanding of how the club works. Nowadays everything is modernised and having a criterion of what is needed to know how to delegate in certain aspects… I don’t know in which position.

But I don’t think he would be like a player you have on the squad and don’t use. I think he would be a positive addition to the directive side of a team.

How do you want to be remembered: as the rock of the Dream Team, or the uncle of the greatest tennis player ever?

I had my career, which was not nearly as brilliant as Rafael’s. At first Rafael was my nephew for a short time and then I became the uncle of Rafael. So it doesn’t matter to me.

Can Carlos Alcaraz win more Grand Slam titles than Rafa? Could he go down as a bigger legend than Rafa in tennis?

We are talking about a player who has every virtue. He has a great serve, a great forehand, a backhand, a powerful physique, he is fast and he handles pressure. One positive aspect is that the competition is currently quite low.

Today, in Alcaraz’s case, there is a big difference. I don’t see a wide group of players who have options to win a Grand Slam. If you ask me who is going to win the next Roland Garros, well, Sinner or Alcaraz. Wimbledon? Sinner or Alcaraz. You don’t see that wide range, so I think he is a player who will win many Grand Slams.

He has the advantage of aiming for 20, 22, 23 Grand Slams. It is very complicated because it requires minimum consistency and mental strength to suffer a not very high wear. I see it as difficult, but it could be possible. He has all the conditions and, apart from the sporting ones, when it comes to competition I don’t see players emerging today who are clear contenders to win a Grand Slam.

What could Mohamed Salah offer to Barcelona if he decided to test himself in Spain rather than Saudi Arabia?

We are talking about players who, wherever they go, will add something. But these are risky bets. I doubt he would come to Barcelona. I think it would be a reinforcement for any team. But he is 33 or 34 years old. I see him more as an important weight inside the club.

Offensively at Barcelona I think both wings are already covered. It would be a great reinforcement, but I don’t think we are in the mood for this kind of bet.

Who is the one other Premier League player that Barcelona or Real Madrid should sign as their next big Galáctico?

In the Premier League it is obvious there are great players. I think the most visible reference is Haaland. Haaland is also at a great club.

The move would be very important, but he is the player because of his youth, because of what he implies and because of what he has — that would possibly be the strongest bet. The problem is I don’t think he is within reach of many teams.

Who would you prefer to see succeed Robert Lewandowski as Barça’s next main striker: Erling Haaland or Harry Kane?

They are different profiles. Kane is admirable not only for his evolution but for the continuous performance he has had both in England and now at Bayern. I don’t know how many goals he has scored, but the other day I heard he has almost 50 this season, including 30-plus in the league.

He is a player who offers so much. I think he would fit any team. If you sign him now for Madrid he would fit, if he went to Barcelona he would fit. But if you have a choice, I think the bet would be Haaland.

The other is to admire his career, and Haaland must be 26 years old, that is the future. Nowadays athletes last longer. Lewandowski, for example, when Barcelona signed him… I remember we were at Roland Garros and he came.

At that time Lewandowski was, I think, 33 or 34. He came at 33 and the performance he has offered has been very good. Today a 33-year-old still has a journey. Before you retired them, but nowadays, with the care, a 33-year-old has time to perform well.

Arsenal’s Declan Rice has been tipped for the Ballon d’Or this year but who do you think is the best midfielder in world football right now? How does Rice compare?

The truth is he is a great midfielder and he is at a good club. But I think the midfielder who opts for the Ballon d’Or has to come preceded by his club conquering Europe. Naturally that gives more options.

But as a midfielder, the one who makes the biggest difference and the player I would bet strongly on would be Pedri. Pedri is very complete, he gives you different things, seriousness, magic, commitment. Yes, we are talking about top players.

Can you see Mikel Arteta as Barcelona manager one day or do Barcelona need to appoint a manager who has proven they can win things?

Barcelona have had some of the best coaches without them coming preceded by titles. Guardiola came from the B team, Luis Enrique too. It is about seeing a personality, a style that can naturally adapt.

Arteta started with Guardiola but now at Arsenal he is having a brilliant spell. I think that… regarding coaches, it is not always necessary to look at whether the CV was preceded by titles or not. It is also about seeing something different. Not only because he was a Barcelona player, I still think he has a place in carrying the weight of the team.

Is Lionel Messi the greatest player in Barcelona’s history in your view or are there other players you’d put ahead of him?

The conditions are very different from before. Sometimes you see players like Maradona who, depending on the play, would receive four fouls today that would be red cards and back then they almost continued the move.

It is obvious I don’t know if to put him as the best. For Barcelona, without doubt, for performance and for everything he did, even though he has dropped off in the last two years, I don’t think we will see another player at Barcelona who does what Messi did in the years he was there. It is very difficult to find players with that creativity, that longevity, that performance, the goals, the creativity.

Do players like Pedri or Yamal have the potential to one day become the greatest legends for Barcelona as a club? What would they need to do to get there?

Pedri will be recognised because he is a great player. He is not the player who can score so many goals and make that kind of difference that you say he could easily win the Ballon d’Or.

Yamal is the one who, because of his position and because he has started very young, you see the growth, as we said at the beginning, a constant growth because he makes different plays, he adapts the game and it doesn’t matter if he strikes with the inside or the outside of the foot.

But reaching Messi’s performance and what Messi did on the pitch… I doubt it. There will be great players. Yamal will be one of them because he has all the conditions, but getting to Messi’s level I see as very difficult.

Would Lionel Messi still be a starter for Barcelona today if he returned from MLS for another spell at the club?

Yes. It is evident that Yamal’s numbers are even better than Messi’s in some aspects. In the same way we look at the numbers, we also look at what Messi did. When you start seeing Messi’s plays, the definition of the plays, it was a game for him. Yamal has great qualities that I already find extraordinary.

When you say “he can get you a goal” you put him in. But Messi was… Once they asked me about Romário when I was with him, and I told them that Romário was that player that at night, when you were young, you were there dreaming of scoring a goal and Romário would score it for you.

You could dream it, but Romário did it. I think what Messi does you don’t even dream. You don’t dream it because the control of the ball, in his way, had an extraordinary physique adapted to the technical quality he had. It is very difficult to equal.

Naturally Messi would adapt. He wouldn’t have the weight he had in other stages. But if you put him to play for Barcelona he wouldn’t play badly, that I can guarantee.

Having worked under Michael Laudrup at Mallorca and seeing his success at Swansea City, are you surprised he was not offered any bigger jobs in England like Manchester United or Liverpool?

I think Michael had the conditions. But he lacked ambition. He came from the English stage, then he went to Getafe and then to Mallorca. I think he lacked the ambition to want to be a coach, a great coach. I think this made… It is not only about having more patience, it is a matter of wanting it.

To succeed you have to want it. I think he could have succeeded, but I think he lacked a bit of ambition. The life of a coach is hard, very hard. So there was a moment when he rethought things and I think the reason it didn’t go higher was the lack of ambition.

What could he have offered Barcelona as manager given what he achieved with a relatively modest budget at Swansea?

He identified perfectly with a style of play like Barcelona’s. I think he would have fitted well. Then it is about knowing how to adapt a little to the structure, not only the sporting part, there is also the media side, which today also carries weight in football. He would have contributed creativity and style. I think more than contributing, he would have adapted and could have given a good performance at Barcelona.

“Hardly, because time passes, but I don’t think he is misplaced. I see him doing commentary from time to time and when you start to see players who have marked an era, have been coaches and have returned, it is true that they have success but they sacrifice many things. One has to carry the passion in this case.