Historic Lamine Yamal Hat-Trick & Champions League Showdowns Revealed

9:06Gary Neville:And there hasn't been a bad word said about Marcus Rashford in Barcelona.

9:10Jamie Carragher:And the fans will love that, won't they? Yeah.

9:11Gary Neville:And also it does show he's behaving because everything's caught on social media these days, isn't it? So he's clearly living a good life and enjoying his time out in Barcelona, learning the language. I remember you said he was having lessons when you went out to see him. So he's clearly settling in well there and enjoying it. So yeah, good luck to him. And I think it would be a great move for him to make it permanent.

9:34Jamie Carragher:Yeah, it'd be great to catch up with him again, actually, wouldn't it? Yes, yes. Have a little chat. Hopefully, maybe if we can get out for the Clasico, that'd be brilliant. And do it around then. That brings us, obviously, to the game. It was a big one. So Villarreal obviously had a reasonable season in La Liga anyway, certainly not in the Champions League, but very comfortable. and it brings us to a certain Luminiumal. It's Luminiumal. He steps infield and pass Valero. Luminiumal on a hat-trick, which he delivers. His first senior hat-trick.

10:09Gary Neville:Yeah, which is quite, it's sort of hard to believe, but then again, it's not really. I know, you're thinking, why is he taking him so long?

10:14Jamie Carragher:Hang on a minute. Oh, he's 18.

10:18Gary Neville:I know, I know. So, yeah, youngest ever player to score a hat-trick for Barcelona. I think it's been 59 years since someone under the age of 19 scored a hat-trick in La Liga. The second goal was unbelievable. He has no right to score from there.

10:33Jamie Carragher:All three of them were beautiful, but the middle one, wow. Cardona looking to try and shepherd him into a less dangerous area. Instead, he steps infield and pass Valero! Lamin-Yamal with a stunning second. It was Messi-esque kind of goal, really. There's always the danger of comparing him constantly with Messi, which he'll have. He plays for the same team, plays in the same position. I mean, it's almost impossible to compare anyone with Messi. But I think whatever happens, he's definitely the next coming. He's already a global superstar. But the way he plays, he's one of those that defies belief when you're watching play, and particularly for one of such a tender age.

11:16Gary Neville:just a moment of magic wasn't it that second goal beating those two defenders curling it into the top corner just yeah it was a messiest goal wasn't it and I'm sure he'd take that comparison getting compared to to Lionel Messi it's a hundred goal involvements now for him as well three years before Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi managed a hundred goal involvements in La Liga so pretty impressive stuff and and it's actually a scary thought to think how young he is and what he could go on and achieve the numbers he could reach.

11:49Jamie Carragher:I know. He just, it's one of those players that you want to watch, brings people to football. And there are not many of, I mean, well, there are one every generation for me, I think. And he could be that. And there are dangers. There are always dangers of football, whether it's injury or you can lose your way a little bit or, you know, things can happen in your personal life. And there's all sorts of things you've got to manoeuvre and manage over many, many years to have a long career. I mean, he's got a confidence. And if I had even a quarter of his ability, I'd have had that confidence. I think he's got a bit of a swagger.

12:24Jamie Carragher:And yes, he has a bit of fun. He does dancing things, but that's this generation and it's fun. People will use it against him occasionally. And it's, but I love watching him play. I mean, he's immensely, immensely talented.

12:39Gary Neville:And he has been criticized. People have said, well, he doesn't show up against the big sides, does he? but I think he's handled the criticism really well.

12:47Jamie Carragher:Yeah. Did they watch the Euros? I know. And that was when he was 16. Did you see what he did to France?

12:55Gary Neville:I know. I know. I know. I know. But of course, there's always going to be people.

13:00Jamie Carragher:Did they watch the games against Real Madrid last season? He did pretty well, I thought.

13:05Gary Neville:But I feel that he's just handled it really well. He's clearly very mature for his age and has the right people around him, helping him and guiding him through it all because he's certainly, he lets his football do the talking.

13:18Jamie Carragher:That's the mad thing about him, isn't he? He's 18 years old and most kids are still at school with Ev living at home and all that. He's probably, he's already providing for his whole family. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And doing it, I think generally with a smile on his face, he's got, I don't give a fuck attitude, if that's, if I can put it that way, about people have a pop at him. He just seems to manage it all very well. And he'll need to because when your profile's that big, they build you up and sometimes they take joy in knocking you down. But he does appear to have the mentality to deal with it.

13:57Gary Neville:People shouldn't be criticising. You should just be enjoying this generational talent. We're so lucky to be watching a player like this. So, yeah, less criticism, more enjoyment, and just, yeah, enjoy Laminia Mal.

14:12Jamie Carragher:I know. I mean, the way he finishes as well, when he comes in on that from the right-hand side and it's on his left foot, you just know he's going to find the right finish. He's not really old enough to have learnt all this stuff. It just comes so naturally to him. I just kind of mouth open and gas to some of the stuff that he does.

14:32Gary Neville:So do you think you're born with a talent like Laminia Mal's talent?

14:35Jamie Carragher:You can't learn it.

14:35Gary Neville:Obviously you can work on it, you can train hard, but he's born with that gift.

14:41Jamie Carragher:Well, the thing about the 10 ,000 hours is an utter nonsense. When they said you can do anything really well if you do 10 ,000, it's a nonsense. I mean, but you still need to do the skills. Is that how you got good at cooking?

14:55Gary Neville:10 ,000 hours of cooking.

14:56Jamie Carragher:I think I've probably done 10 ,000 hours now. But yes, of course it will improve you, but I'm never going to be fucking Gordon Ramsay. I'm not.

15:03Gary Neville:Yes, yes. Anyway, back to Laminia Mal, who's cooking in La Liga.

15:09Jamie Carragher:Hooray, very good. I like that.

15:11Gary Neville:But yeah, absolutely. We just need to enjoy him. Just need to enjoy him. But it's a gift that he was born with, you know, 10 ,000 hours. You're not going to turn into Laminia Mal, are you?

15:20Jamie Carragher:No, no. We've not quite done 10 ,000 hours on this podcast yet, but we'll do a few more minutes after the break. this episode is brought to you by whoop in the modern game of course there are a lot more games and that feeling of being slightly off by monday and that's how it shows up not as an injury it's just fatigue creeping in off the pitch everyday life stacks up to work travel late nights early starts whoop helps you see how sleep recovery and stress are impacting your overall health over time It's like a health scout working quietly in the background. No screen, no constant pings, just deeper insight into your health when you actually need it.

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16:54Jamie Carragher:for yourself. Shop Virtuo up exclusively at Nespresso.com We're leaving today and entering a world of Mickey Mouse waving, princess meeting and greeting, lightsaber clashing, the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror dropping, banshee flying, Space Mountain launching, galaxy rewinding, galaxy rewinding, fireworks igniting, world of other worlds for whatever you love. Infinite worlds await at the most magical place on earth. Walt Disney World Resort. Welcome back to the Rest is Football La Liga episode with Alex Algeo and me, Karalineca. Interesting draw, the two Spanish sides in the competition, both two English sides, Premier League sides, Alex.

17:46Gary Neville:Yes, it's crazy actually. The Real Madrid-Manchester City situation. so since Pep Guardiola took over at City 2016 do you know how many times they face each other I would guess maybe I don't know 12 13 oh good guess so close 13 yeah just crazy isn't it I think Pep Guardiola came out and said it is a little bit weird it's a little bit weird and in the old format obviously we love the new format promoting the new format but the old format they wouldn't have faced each other until the quarters. They only played each other a couple of months ago. But yeah, I mean, it's always a good game, isn't it?

18:25Gary Neville:But it feels like a league fixture.

18:27Jamie Carragher:It does. And Barcelona got Newcastle. Again, we mentioned that. I think that was probably when Barca realised they got a real player, that game. And you'll be doing that one, you said, for Amazon. Yes, yeah. Looking forward to that. That's the atmosphere there. I mean, you've already experienced that this season, but it's different once you get to the knockout stages because it's the real deal.

18:50Gary Neville:Yeah, it really is the atmosphere at St. James's Park on a European night. I actually spoke to the guys that make the big TIFOs, you know, the banners. Yeah, yeah, the one they made at Newcastle. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They do a lot of grounds now, don't they? They do, they do, but they make some great ones.

19:08Jamie Carragher:I wonder who organizes. Did you ask them? Who suddenly goes, right, I'll tell you what, let's get one of these massive TIFOs in. And then we've got to get everyone to buy into holding it. And who makes the decision?

19:19Gary Neville:Yeah, it's a company called War Flags. They had an Eddie Howe one the other night. I know. And Eddie was asked about it post-match. They're like, oh, did he like it? He was like, didn't see it. I was like, oh, nightmare. Didn't see it?

19:33Jamie Carragher:Yeah, didn't see it. I'm sure he's been showing it subsequently.

19:37Gary Neville:Eddie's like, what banner? What banner? I missed it.

19:39Jamie Carragher:Oh, no, really?

19:40Gary Neville:So hopefully he'll be looking out next Tuesday night to see whatever they've got in store. But yeah, a really good tie that. I think a shame for Newcastle. They don't have the second leg at St. James's Park because it won't be easy going to the Nou Camps. They've just got to try and get a positive result on Tuesday evening.

19:56Jamie Carragher:Yeah, and that takes us to Atletico Madrid. They've got Spurs, another Spain versus England tie. And then you've got the potential possible quarterfinals should the Spanish clubs come out on top of Barcelona. And Atletico could meet in the last eight. And if that happens, it'd be the sixth time they've played each other this season. Because they play this week the second leg, which of course Atletico lead by four. Have you got Eric's face? I mean, blimey, they left it late at the weekend, didn't they? Against Obeido, right? Yeah, they did.

20:33Gary Neville:They did. I do have Eric's thoughts. yeah he actually said very kind of Atleti to give Oviedo 90 minutes to try and score they couldn't Julian Alvarez scored an injury time yeah that was the team's only shot on target it was good for him

20:47Jamie Carragher:he needs goals he needs goals yeah he was 14

20:50Gary Neville:La Liga games without a goal for him and what else did he say he said Julio Diaz youth team player number 48 to debut with Ochoa no idea where the other 46 have ended up he said just Barrios and his son have made Atleti Diaz did well and played a big part and build up to the goals. But then he says this, he said, listening to the manager, he sounds more humble. He's admitting mistakes. He's rotating. He knows it will be judged on the second leg copper result and the Tottenham tie and a top four finish. But he is singing Saul off's praises these days. He says he's a big fan. He said for new listeners tuning into the podcast, I'm a massive fan.

21:28Jamie Carragher:Oh, how fans turn. Oh, there you are.

21:32Gary Neville:This is the cheek of this. Honestly, the cheek of this. He said, hopefully he will start getting all the credit he deserves.

21:38Jamie Carragher:Welcome to the world of punditry, Eric. This is how it works. You have to change your tune from time to time.

21:44Gary Neville:Exactly. He said, yeah, on top of his hat-trick, he looked very sharp-pressed. Bullied defenders against Club Brugge. He resembled Diego Costa in his prime without the aggro. He got a hat-trick, of course. Yeah, yeah. And then he said, P.S., in the past, I have compared the Norwegian striker's mobility to that of a tree. I will now dig into yet another serving of Soorloff humble pie.

22:03Jamie Carragher:Yeah.

22:04Gary Neville:So he's obviously regretting.

22:06Jamie Carragher:A Norwegian pine.

22:07Gary Neville:A Norwegian pine. I like it. Like it a lot. Anyway, so yeah, so massive game, massive game for Atletico Madrid. When this podcast goes out, it'll be that evening, won't it? At the new camp, the second leg.

22:22Jamie Carragher:But... 4-0 lead is huge.

22:24Gary Neville:Well, all I'm going to say is the game at the weekend was Hansi Flick's 100th game in charge of Barcelona. 75 wins. and in 32 of those games, they've scored four goals or more, which is crazy stat. It is incredible what he's done.

22:44Jamie Carragher:I mean, I love the way they play and ultimately the judgment will come on whether he can win a Champions League.

22:50Gary Neville:Four trophies as well, all the domestic trophies, but it's that Champions League.

22:54Jamie Carragher:That's the one because you can't let Real Madrid just boss that trophy all the time. I don't think Real Madrid likely to win it this season.

23:03Gary Neville:Reyes de Europa.

23:05Jamie Carragher:Yeah, exactly. That's what they call themselves. The kings of Europe, you know, they do. Okay, Alex, time for your customary roundup.

23:13Gary Neville:My roundup. Okay. Carlos Espy's late brace kept Levante's survival hopes alive as they saw off 10-man Alaves. Alaves had Victor Parada sent off for a second yellow card after 57 minutes and Espy took full advantage. His deflected strike broke the deadlock before he added a second in stoppage time to move Levante within four points of safety. Real Sociedad secured a narrow win in Mallorca thanks to Carlos Soler's first half goal. Soler found the bottom corner from the center of the box in the 36th minute. Mallorca pushed for an equalizer late on with Vedat Marucci heading over and Antonio Araillo seeing an effort go just too high, but Real Sociedad held on for the three points.

23:57Gary Neville:Athletic club extended their unbeaten run against Rayo Vallecano to nine matches with a one-all draw at Vallecas. Rayo took the lead 10 minutes before halftime when, fruity George, Jorge de Frutos fired home at the far post after a VAR check confirmed Alvaro Garcia had held his run. Athletic leveled less than two minutes into the second half with a volley from Iñaki Williams. Elche in Espanol played out a thrilling two-all draw at the Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero. Quique Garcia gave Elche a dream start after seven minutes, but Marc Aguado leveled just before half-time. Carlos Romero restored Elche's lead and they looked set for three points until Rafa Mir's last gasp penalty denied Elche a vital win.

24:44Gary Neville:There was more drama in stoppage time as Elche's Carlos Pickett received a second yellow card for unsportsmanlike conduct, leaving them to finish with 10 men. Sevilla fought back from two goals down to draw against Real Betis in the Seville Derby. Anthony scored his seventh goal of the season to give Betis the lead with a bicycle kick. Alvaro Fidalgo doubled the score just before halftime, flicking home as Abde's perfectly weighted pass with the outside of his boot. Sevilla responded after the break with Alexis Sanchez heading home just past the hour mark before Isaac Romero drove a loose ball into the bottom corner in the 85th minute.

25:23Gary Neville:Seltavigo came from behind to beat Girona 2-1. Vladislav Vanat headed Girona in front from a corner. Beran Djukla leveled for Seltzer with a brilliant finish into the top corner shortly after the hour mark. Seltzer went ahead after Vito Reis turned the ball into his own net while trying to block a cross. Girona pushed for an equaliser late on with Claudio Echeverri forcing a superb save and Vito Reis seeing a shot go just wide in stoppage time. But Celta held on for all three points.

25:54Jamie Carragher:Brilliantly done. Brilliantly done, Alex. They're getting longer and longer,

25:58Gary Neville:those roundups.

25:59Jamie Carragher:Can you guess my name?

26:01Gary Neville:Let me guess.

26:02Jamie Carragher:There's a beauty in there. There's a beauty. I'll tell you now, right? He got a second yellow card for unsportsmanlike conduct and left his team in a bit of a pickle.

26:15Gary Neville:Oh, yeah. Carlos Pickle.

26:20Jamie Carragher:I love that one.

26:21Gary Neville:He got himself in a pickle. That's good. Exactly.

26:23Jamie Carragher:That's good.

26:25Gary Neville:Love it. Love it. That's our name of the week then.

26:27Jamie Carragher:It is. What a way to finish. Goodbye from me.

26:30Gary Neville:Pickles. Goodbye from me.

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26:47Jamie Carragher:I don't have time to shop, So I buy all my clothes where I buy my seafood. I just want someone to tell me what shirt goes with what pants. I just want jeans that fit.

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