In the quiet hours of Sunday morning, while most of Spain was asleep, FC Barcelona superstar Lamine Yamal made a statement without saying a word.
Instead, the 18-year-old changed his profile picture on Instagram, and that’s all it took to send shockwaves through the soccer world.
The new profile photo was of Lakers star LeBron James. The photo was of James in the summer of 2016, gripping the Larry O’Brien Trophy after leading the Cavaliers to one of the most memorable comebacks in NBA Finals history.
Yamal’s decision to change his profile photo wasn’t random. It was meant to be inspirational.
Days earlier, FC Barcelona was humbled at home by Atletico Madrid 2-0 in the first leg of its UEFA Champions League quarterfinal match at Camp Nou.
Lamine Yamal of FC Barcelona reacts after a UEFA Champions League loss in a quarterfinal match. Getty Images Now, the odds are stacked against them as they have to travel to the Metropolitano in Madrid inside hostile territory facing a two-goal deficit.
That’s why Yamal is reaching back to James and history for inspiration.
And not just any history. The 2016 NBA Finals. Cleveland down 3-1 against a 73-win juggernaut led by Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. On the road at the then-Oracle Arena, in hostile territory.
James and his Cavaliers teammates rewrote the limits on what a comeback could look like at the highest level. Remember his chase-down block on Andre Iguodala? Or Kyrie Irving’s 3-pointer over Curry that stunned an entire arena?
Bay Area News Group/TNS/ABACA Yamal knows his sports history.
“This isn’t over yet, culers,” he wrote in Spanish on his Instagram after the first-leg loss.
View this post on Instagram The second leg of the Champions League quarterfinal matchup between the two Spanish giants is scheduled for Tuesday, with kickoff scheduled for noon.
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