Lamine Yamal could become bisiwu’s “big brother”. Former brugge director sees the “x factor”
Players are apparently required to grow up rather quickly at Barcelona. Lamine Yamal is only 19, but he is already being mentioned as a possible “big brother” to the club’s next teenage prospect. That is the view of Dévy Rigaux, the former Club Brugge sporting director who knows Jesse Bisiwu particularly well.
The 18-year-old Belgian produced his first major performance in a Barcelona shirt on Sunday. He needed only around ten minutes to score twice in the 5–2 friendly victory over FC Basel. His first was a powerful finish into the top corner following a pass from Dani Olmo, before he added another from close range.
Two goals in a friendly are usually enough to start the Barcelona hype machine. A promising teenager can become the next global superstar before he has even found a permanent locker. Rigaux, however, was not surprised by what he saw.
The former Club Brugge director, who now works for Feyenoord, believes Bisiwu has the qualities required to succeed at Barcelona. Speaking to AS, he highlighted the winger’s speed, ability to combine with teammates and natural charisma.
“I think Lamine can be like a big brother to him at Barça,” Rigaux said. “They belong to that TikTok generation and Bisiwu has that X factor.”
This is not an official mentoring role created by Barcelona. It is Rigaux’s personal view based on his knowledge of Bisiwu and the similarities he sees between the two players. The idea is not unreasonable, though. Yamal is only around six months older, but he already has several seasons of first-team football, major international tournaments and all the attention that comes with wearing Barcelona’s number 10 shirt.
Rigaux described Bisiwu as a calm and affectionate young player who believes in himself without becoming arrogant. He sent the winger a message after his two goals against Basel and said he received a very professional reply. He also offered a reminder that Bisiwu remains a teenager who might occasionally leave his shin pads at home. The X factor does not necessarily include packing skills.
Barcelona officially completed Bisiwu’s signing at the end of July. According to Mundo Deportivo, the club paid Club Brugge €8.5 million and agreed to hand the Belgian side 20 per cent of the profit from any future sale. Other teams were interested, but Rigaux claims none pursued him as strongly as Barcelona.
The former director does not expect Bisiwu to be sent out on loan immediately. In his opinion, Barcelona want to monitor his development during his first season of training with the senior squad, both as a footballer and as a person. That remains Rigaux’s assessment rather than a confirmed decision from Hansi Flick.
Bisiwu should not expect an automatic place in the starting lineup after one impressive friendly. Competition on the wings is fierce and he has only just arrived in a completely new environment. Rigaux therefore repeated a piece of advice associated with Vincent Kompany: do not believe either the hype or the drama.
It may be the most useful message Bisiwu receives this summer. Barcelona have signed a quick and skilful winger who has already provided an exciting glimpse of his talent. Now they need to give him time. Yamal may be able to help – as long as everyone remembers that the proposed “big brother” only turned 19 himself last month.
Sources: AS, Mundo Deportivo
