October 23, 2026
French defender Lucas Hernandez, a Paris Saint-Germain player and former Bayern Munich star, transformed from a backup option into one of the most prominent creators of his team’s huge victory over Barcelona, Spain, 4-2, in the Champions League, after he was assigned the complex task of reducing the danger of the young Catalan star, Lamine Yamal.
Hernandez’s inclusion in the starting lineup came as a surprise, after Portuguese left-back Nuno Mendes suffered a muscle bruise during the French League match against Strasbourg, which kept him out of the match and cast a shadow of concern about how to stop Yamal (19 years old), who is currently considered one of the most difficult players in the world in one-on-one confrontations.
Although the French media nominated other names such as Warren Zaire-Emery and Lucas Digne to fill the position, coach Luis Enrique surprised everyone by choosing Hernandez, who was informed of the decision to participate only two and a half hours before the start of the match, in his first start in the Champions League match in more than a year and a half.
Hernandez is playing his fourth season with the Parisian club, where his role gradually decreased to being limited to emergency options, affected by two severe injuries, a torn cruciate ligament that he suffered in November 2022 with Bayern Munich, and then in May 2024, he began competing in the center back position with Lucas Peraldo to be the fourth option behind Marquinhos, Willian Pacho and Ilija Zabarny.
Despite these circumstances, the veteran defender proved his high efficiency. He succeeded in nullifying the keys to Yamal’s game and presenting a match that was almost the weakest for the Spanish star this season, during which he was unable to impose his style. Hernandez’s role was not limited to defensive security, but he added the second goal for his team via a precise header following a corner kick, while Yamal did not score his goal until Hernandez was replaced and Zaire-Emery took his place.
In statements he made after the match, coach Luis Enrique praised the 30-year-old defender by saying: “He deserves it, because with his energy and his ability to be satisfied and positive, he is an important player for the team.”
The match witnessed a funny moment that sparked widespread interaction on social media platforms, when Hernandez patted Yamal on the shoulder as he passed by him after scoring the goal, and the young star gave him an angry look, which Hernandez met with a wide smile that increased the Catalan player’s annoyance.
On the physical level, Hernandez may have more opportunities in the future in light of the heavy losses incurred by Paris Saint-Germain during the match, as Georgian Khvicha Kvaratskhilia suffered a cruciate ligament tear that threatens to end his season, while Ousmane Dembélé left the field due to a muscle injury in less than 20 minutes, in addition to the possibility of captain Marquinhos being absent for a period due to a similar muscle injury.
