"Those are meaningless details..." - Team Spain's manager De la Fuente defends Lamine Yamal on his criticism over LeBron James-style celebration

The Team Spain forward footballer, Lamine Yamal, ruffled the wrong feathers with his innocent celebration. He was seen making a crown on his head gesture, which is famous as LeBron James’ signature style, during a celebratory moment. Critics wrote it off, saying it's ‘boastful’ and ‘inappropriate’ for a young player to imitate an iconic NBA figure. However, the Team Spain manager did not think the same way. He asserted that instead of focusing on meaningful details, one should focus on the hard work Lamine puts in.Lamine Yamal is being considered soccer’s new king, but his off-field moves are entertaining as well. His birthday celebration was criticized for hiring dwarves as entertainers, which The Association of People with Achondroplasia and other Skeletal Dysplasias in Spain heavily criticized and announced taking action through legal and social channels. Meanwhile, LeBron has added another feather to his cap by winning an HOF induction while being an active player.When a young football player chooses to imitate an NBA icon like LeBron James, it is bound to turn heads. Something like this precisely happened when Spain’s forward Lamine Yamal’s celebration style came under the critics’ scanner. With dailies like the NY Times covering it extensively, the comparison brought undue attention to the player. Addressing the comparison and other news floating around the promising player, Spain team manager De la Fuente said:“He’s always taken care of himself with top standards. He has an outstanding talent, but he trains six hours per day, goes to the gym, does the treatments with physios, and everything we call ‘invisible training’. Everything Lamine has achieved is not because he threw a birthday party, or because the way he celebrates a goal. No. Those are meaningless details. What we need to highlight is the work he puts in to make this happen.”De la Fuente shared his opinion on the comparison with LeBron James’ signature celebration pose, saying, “To me, the celebration was not crowning himself. It looked like him putting on a magician’s hat. I told myself while watching the TV: ‘Well, the kid has done another magic trick’. That’s how I understood it.”Fuente pointed out that Yamal should be celebrated for being just a 16-year-old kid at the time of his debut, and how his journey should be projected to the young followers in an inspiring rather than a sensational way. LeBron James has not made any statement on this comparison yet. Yamal is writing history with his outstanding performances. He is also being considered a strong candidate for this season’s Ballon d’Or, as reported in the NY Times.While the Spanish media and sportscasters were busy drawing comparisons in celebration styles of young Lamine Yamal and LeBron James, the NBA superstar shared an interesting picture on his Instagram. He flaunted the Hall of Fame jacket, which he wore to the induction ceremony, captioning the picture as:“We In The Hall Baby!!!!! Ayyyyyyeeee 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾👑”LeBron is inducted into the Hall of Fame as a member of “2008 Redeem Team.” This induction becomes super special for the NBA icon as he joins Chris Paul in being the first active players to have received the honor.Also Read: LeBron James’ retirement unsettles Los Angeles Lakers bench with no clarity in sight