Yamal lost in the UEFA League final, the world s number one left-back is about to emerge

This season, the 17-year-old Barcelona star and Spanish international Yamal shines in European football, making countless full-backs frightened. However, this does not include one person - Portugal's left-back Nuno Mendes. In fact, it was this Portuguese wing who completely "silenced" Yamal in this highly anticipated European League final.

Yamar encountered a difficult battle

Who is the best left-back in Europe? The answer seems to be self-evident. In the past six months, Mendes' performance on both offensive and defensive ends has been almost unmatched. In the UEFA League final, he once again showed his top level. Facing the young and famous Yamal, Mendes proved with practical actions that he was the real master.

Before this game, Mendes had completed 56 appearances this season, and the Club World Cup mission was waiting for him. But even so, his condition is still hot and his physical fitness is amazing. There was a moment in the game: the Portuguese offense was stagnant and seemed to be unthreatening. At this moment, Mendes suddenly started, throwing Oscar Mingeza away like a flash of lightning, and then calmly shot low and scored in the far corner, with the ball hanging straight to the dead corner. Such a one-stop performance is simply unstoppable!

Not only that, Mendes also instigated the second goal to equalize the score. He accelerated his breakthrough again, leaving Mingeza behind, and even Yamal couldn't catch up with his rhythm. Although his cross was touched by the opponent's defensive player, Ronaldo quickly seized the opportunity to complete the goal.

Mendes won the best in the game. Nowadays, half of the sky on the left seems to have become Mendes' private territory. Whether it is the club Paris Saint-Germain or the national team Portugal, he can both offense and defense and be at ease. In the past, his insertion sometimes seemed not accurate enough, but now he has fully mastered the rhythm - knowing when to stick to the position and when to push forward decisively. Once the sprint begins, the young guard born in 2002 is almost unstoppable.

The defensive end also performed dominantly

In terms of defense, Mendes completely blocked Yamal. Yamal gained almost no room throughout the game. Mendes successfully intercepted the ball again and again, with accurate predictions and neat actions, making the young player, who is regarded as the star of the future, mediocre in the whole game, as if he was invisible. This is not the first time Mendes has shown this kind of suppression. As early as the Champions League match at the beginning of the year, he successfully frozen Liverpool superstar Salah. After the UEFA Nations League final, Mendes said in an interview: "It's a confrontation, like many other confrontations I've experienced throughout the season. I've faced many high-level, technical and explosive players. Today, I didn't let Yamal do what he is best at."

"It's very important to the team and I'm very happy to help the team win this trophy. It all comes from stability and continuous efforts. I've played a lot of great games, and it's from my daily training and dedication - whether it's personal effort or cooperation with Paris Saint-Germain and the national team coaching staff."