Sports Groove

Lamine Yamal has etched his name into Barcelona history after becoming the youngest player ever to captain the Catalan giants. The Spanish forward was handed the armband at just 19 years and 58 days during Barcelona’s emphatic 5–1 Champions League victory over Feyenoord on Wednesday. Yamal took over as captain in the 71st minute after regular skipper Raphinha was substituted, marking another remarkable milestone in the teenager’s rapidly developing career. The feat saw Yamal surpass Bojan Krkic, who previously held the record after captaining Barcelona in a 2010 Copa del Rey match at the age of 20.

Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has dismissed suggestions that he is under increased pressure to win the Champions League during his second spell in charge of the Spanish giants. Mourinho returns to European competition with Real Madrid on Tuesday when they host Serie A champions Inter Milan at the Santiago Bernabeu in their opening Champions League fixture. The Portuguese coach was unable to secure the Champions League during his first tenure at Madrid, with the prestigious trophy remaining the only major title he failed to win during his time at the club. However, Mourinho insisted his current challenge should not be judged against his previous spell and rejected the notion that he owes the club success in Europe. “No, it is two different spells,” Mourinho said when asked whether he felt indebted to Real Madrid. “When I left in 2013, we won what we won and lost what we lost, and we gave it our all. And that was that. “What I need to do now has nothing to do with the pas...