• Now, Lamin Yamal stands at a crossroads. With full support from his coach (after removing the obstacle), and with the fans celebrating his return, hopes remain that the young star will regain his focus

In news eagerly awaited by Barcelona fans, the “most talked-about relationship of 2025” has officially ended, after the young star Lamin Yamal announced his breakup with Argentine singer Nikki Nicole

What might at first seem like a purely personal matter has, in the eyes of “Cules,” turned into a “lifeline” and a signal of the return of the “lost gem.” Since their engagement announcement on September 11, the duo (Yamal, 18, and Nicole, 25) has been linked to endless controversy and speculation about the impact of their relationship on the player, whose form had noticeably declined

Now, with Yamal’s official announcement and Nicole deleting all traces of them from social media, Barcelona fans did not hesitate to chant their famous line inspired by the “Captain Majed” song: “He has returned to you again

Yamal denies cheating… inside the Milan trip

To cut off rumors, Yamal chose to clarify the matter himself. In an interview with Spanish journalist Javier de Oyus, Yamal said, “We are no longer together, but it was not due to cheating.” This direct denial of “cheating” was necessary, especially after the media storm that swept across Spain in recent days. Rumors claimed that Yamal, after losing the Clasico, traveled to Milan for a party and was seen with Italian influencer Anna Ginoso

These reports sparked speculation that cheating caused the breakup, but Yamal ended the debate saying: We simply decided to separate, and that is all. Everything reported in the media is untrue. I did not cheat, and I was not involved with anyone else

Why fans celebrated

Although this news concerns his private life, the reaction of Barcelona fans was strikingly celebratory. “The breakup was necessary… now Yamal’s Ballon d’Or season begins!” wrote a fan on X

These comments reflect the anxiety that had surrounded “Cules.” After Yamal’s explosive start last season and his standout performance in the European Championship with Spain, the player appeared “dull” this season, less focused, and less effective offensively. Many attributed the decline to his new personal life

Nikki Nicole… symbol of lost focus

Analysts believe Yamal’s problem was not the relationship itself, but the “lack of focus” that preceded it. Nikki Nicole became the embodiment of this state, representing how a personal distraction can affect a player’s career

Everyone focused on his provocative statements before the Real Madrid match, but few noticed that these comments were made during a late-night live broadcast just days before the Clasico. How often did the duo post photos late at night

Nikki Nicole summarized Yamal’s state and his distance from focus on the pitch, a situation neither he nor his coach seemed ready to tolerate

Hansi Flick passed through here

Here comes the role of the “German machine.” All signs point to Barcelona coach Hansi Flick being the decisive factor in this ending. Flick, who calculates everything precisely, could not accept the decline of his “first gem” before his eyes due to hot stories

Flick’s recent statements in the press conference for the Elche match suggest that the last days involved a confrontation between him and Yamal over this matter. The coach defended his player in front of the media but sent decisive messages

When asked (How do you manage Yamal amid this chaos?), he said: “We always speak to him honestly and naturally… I will always protect and support him… we will continue to work together on the same path

Earlier, Flick had famously said: Yamal must understand that what happens off the pitch affects him on the pitch

It can be said that the relationship between Yamal and Nikki Nicole “was not welcomed by Flick.” The German coach saw the Argentine influence as negative on the player’s career, even if she was not the only factor

Thus, the decisive intervention came from the coach, who repeated in his recent conference that he wants “to see the best version of Yamal at all times,” a version Nikki Nicole was not concerned with bringing onto the pitch

Now, Lamin Yamal stands at a crossroads. With full support from his coach (after removing the obstacle), and with fans celebrating his return, hopes remain that the young star will regain the focus and brilliance that made him the frontrunner to become Barcelona’s next legend