Nobody can stop Lamine Yamal from having fun

On Sunday, January 12, Barcelona added another Spanish Supercup to its trophy cabinet, the 15th in its history. Besides arriving with a dominant victory in the Clasico against Real Madrid, the win coincides with a rather turbulent moment for the Blaugrana. The issues involving Dani Olmo and Pau Victor, the controversial auctions of memorabilia from the old Camp Nou, the new stadium still under construction: in short, it hasn't been easy for Barcelona fans to find a ray of light in such a dark period. However, the team, despite not having much experience (aside from veterans like Szczęsny, Lewandowski, and Martínez, who can be counted on one hand, the club is betting everything on its young stars), managed to send a strong message, riding the wave of carefree joy. It almost seems like it’s Yamal, Casadó, Cúbarsi, Baldé & Co who are channeling the fighting spirit of the older players. So, the Barcelona players couldn’t care less that the football world is pointing fingers at them or that some are shouting conspiracy theories about a "club too big to fall," they just play, and they play well, giving much more reassurance than Real Madrid, which is, to this day, a team creaking in many aspects.

The players led by Hansi Flick have secured the first trophy of the season, they are chasing the two Madrid teams in the La Liga standings, waiting for their Copa del Rey quarterfinal match against Real Betis Balompié, and have already secured qualification for the Champions League, sharing second place, 3 points behind leaders Liverpool. In short, in terms of on-field results, there's little to complain about a young team that is young both on and off the pitch. Leading the team is, of course, Lamine Yamal, who has revived the Neymar-core – yes, because it’s been quite some time since the Neymar mania of his Santos days and the Ai Se Eu Te Pego era). Lamine Yamal is in his purest and most authentic form (rightly so, given his very young age): in addition to showing off his skills on the pitch, he has no qualms about walking around with a speaker in hand in the locker room, music blaring; and like the most passionate fanboy, he’s copied Neymar Jr.’s hairstyle from his prime days at Barcelona. Moreover, the aesthetic of the other players who have no problem expressing themselves is evident, perhaps emboldened by the Jules Koundé effect, which has contributed to giving many players the confidence to express themselves: today’s Barcelona is a pure team that can spontaneously express itself both on and off the field.

Raphinha, Koundé, Yamal, and 2006-born Héctor Fort behave as if they are on a school trip; Hansi Flick is metaphorically their teacher, who has tried to limit their creativity by banning tunnel fits in the moments before matches, but he had to give in to the explosion of personality and desire to stand out from these young players, expressed and accentuated through the accessories they flaunted after literally dominating Real Madrid. Gucci glasses for Yamal, Prada for Fort and Koundé, and the must-have Oakley Juliet for Raphinha: confirming that this model is a real obsession for Brazilian players – Endrick had also worn them during the celebrations for the last trophy of his life with Palmeiras. But most importantly, it has been the players themselves who have shown that style on the field and off can blend and, more importantly, coincide; the personality expressed through their looks aligns with what is shown on the pitch, and perhaps this also helped distract Barcelona fans from a complicated club situation and shift the focus solely to the concept of self-expression, both on and off the field.

This shows that the eyewear industry has carved out an increasingly important space in the world of sportswear, even in areas not immediately associated with it, like football. Indeed, it’s now a must to celebrate a trophy wearing your best sunglasses, a tradition that undoubtedly started in the NBA – impossible to forget Michael Jordan’s lenses and cigars – and is now also adopted by football players. From the Blaugrana stars to Rafael Leão during the Italian Supercup in Saudi Arabia, it’s now a ritual to wear sunglasses while lifting a trophy (a story similar to that of Camavinga and Thuram last year). Joy in playing and expressing one’s personality without restrictions (to avoid any intervention from Flick), Barcelona, with Yamal – who in recent weeks has had fun imitating his idol Neymar Jr. and practically becoming his cosplayer, even replicating his celebrations – has brought us back to seeing footballers who are happier and more expressive than ever. It’s unlikely we’ll see video edits like the ones from O'Ney’s Santos days, but we’ll settle for that, if the goal of our search is a more genuine and joyful style of football.