We’ve all watched Lamine Yamal, at just 17 years old, tearing it up in La Liga and thought to ourselves, I wish I was that good. With the swagger of a seasoned pro and the creativity of a street footballer, Yamal continues to amaze fans and pundits with his consistency.
After Barcelona’s resounding 5-1 victory over Mallorca, where Lamine dropped another banger of a performance and picked up an assist, it was the post-match interview that caught everyone’s attention, where Yamal let us in on the secret behind his trademark outside-of-the-foot pass, known as the trivela, or as some FIFA aficionados might call it, the “L2 pass.”
Making his first start since early November following an ankle injury, Yamal wasted no time reminding everyone why he’s one of the most exciting young talents in the game.
He earned a crucial penalty to set up Barcelona’s second goal and delivered a trivela assist to Raphinha for the third, a pass so sublime it could have been framed in an art gallery.
After the game, Yamal spoke to Esport3 about his knack for pulling off the trivela pass and surprised everyone by linking it to the virtual world of FIFA, now known as FC 25.
“I think the button on FIFA is L2 [for the trivela pass],” he said with a laugh. “It’s something I can do quite well,” he said.
In all honesty, most casual players of FIFA struggle to master such controls in-game, let alone replicate them so seamlessly on the pitch.
Maybe Yamal while being insanely consistent on the pitch, is also a master at virtual football, pulling of tricks that most casual players don’t even know about.
What’s an L2 pass?
Most casual players of the game would use the L2 button on the Playstation console for basic player movements in game such as shielding the ball or jockeying while defending. T
he more advanced use of L2 is the “L2+X” combination which results in a flair pass, and most cases a trivela which Yamal has mastered.
There’s also the “L2+O” variant that results in some kind of flair shot; it isn’t specified as to what exactly the move might be.
He also went on to say, “My L2 pass? It’s just natural for me… I’m not practising that in training,” a statement that just exudes pure confidence in his own abilities.
Yamal x Raphinha
Yamal’s chemistry with Raphinha has been one of the brightest sparks in Barcelona’s season. His trivela assist against Mallorca wasn’t an isolated incident; it marked the second time this season he’s set up the Brazilian winger with an outside-of-the-boot pass.
The first came earlier in the campaign during a victory over Villarreal, a longer-range delivery that was just as jaw-dropping. Speaking about their partnership, Yamal said, “I am really happy for Raphinha. We have a good understanding. He knows when I am in that area of the pitch, I will always try that pass.”
For a teenager, Yamal’s confidence and poise are remarkable. And his off-hand comment about FIFA only adds to his growing legend. It’s not hard to imagine him honing his skills both on the pitch and on a gaming console, where the L2 button has undoubtedly become second nature to him.
Well now we all know the trick to getting as good as Yamal: if you’re ready to pull off an L2 pass like Yamal, just pick up a controller—or, if you’re feeling adventurous, a pair of boots. Either way, good luck matching the magic of Lamine Yamal.
