Rafael van der Vaart sends warning to Lamine Yamal as he responds to Spanish wonderkid’s brutal put-down

Rafael van der Vaart has continued his war of words with Lamine Yamal after his recent criticism of the Spanish wonderkid.

Yamal’s Spain knocked the Netherlands out of the Nations League on penalties on Sunday night, despite the 17-year-old missing his own spot-kick.

The Dutch pundit and former Tottenham star blasted Yamal as ‘superficial,’ ‘not making much effort,’ wearing his pants ‘a little lower,’ and claimed that he struggled against left-back Jorrel Hato.

But Yamal hit back on social media, as he wrote on Instagram: ‘Pants down, one goal, missed penalty, and in the semifinals. Hehehehehe, let’s go Spain!’

Van Der Vaart has now responded to Yamal’s put-down, and has warned the Barcelona winger must remain ‘grounded’ if he wants to achieve his full potential.

‘I would advise him not to worry about a former player who is a bit too fat,’ Van Der Vaart told Ziggo Sport. ‘It is completely unimportant. I mean well. 

After Yamal’s brutal put-down in response to his original criticism, Van Der Vaart has warned the teenage star that he must stay ‘grounded’ if he wants to achieve his full potential

‘When you’re 17 and you get so much praise, you start to believe that the whole world revolves around you. We’ve all been there, but the world doesn’t revolve around you. Football is fun, but not important. If you think you’re God, you become a less fun person.

‘There (in Spain) people get angry. Nice and angry. I don’t really care. The bomb exploded. But I was actually not aware of any wrongdoing. I said I see mannerisms, but they act like I think he’s really bad. I think he’s a great player. Hopefully he stays grounded.’

Yamal has enjoyed a remarkable rise since breaking into Barcelona’s first team when he was only 15.

The teenage sensation went on to star at last year’s Euros, scoring once and registering four assists as Spain sealed tournament glory in Germany.

He has kicked on once more at Barcelona this season, recording 30 goal involvements in 38 appearances across all competitions for Hansi Flick’s men.

Barcelona are currently top of LaLiga, in the Copa del Rey semi-finals and the last eight of the Champions League as they chase down a historic Treble.

Yamal could also win more silverware with Spain this summer, with his side set to face France in the Nations League semi-finals before a potential final against either Portugal or Germany.

However, Van Der Vaart is still concerned Yamal is starting to believe his own hype, and has suggested this could come back to haunt him.