Ted Karrass is a six-foot-four 310lb offensive lineman tasked with mauling the strongest athletes on the planet. Lamine Yamal is about five inches shorter and nearly half the weight, his forte: flair and finesse. It is quite the crossover of sporting specimens.
Cincinnati Bengals star Karrass revealed this week he has been using the locker of the Barcelona sensation while practicing at La Ciudad del Futbol, the Spain national team’s training facility.
The NFL is back in Madrid for a second year running this week as the Bengals face the Atlanta Falcons at Real’s iconic Bernabeu, live on Sky Sports NFL from 2pm this Sunday.
“I think it’s just because where the offensive line is,” said Karrass of Lamine Yamal’s locker. “Down the line. He’s kind of in the middle over there, so it makes sense. It’s a big honour.
“It was a fun summer watching the World Cup, and congrats to Spain for winning, and it’s cool to be in the vicinity of world champions, which is what we aspire to be.”
The game in Madrid follows on from the NFL’s debut in Paris in representing the seventh of a record nine international games being played during the 2026 campaign, with Munich and Mexico City set to complete the slate later this month.
Madrid entered the fold as a host city this time last year when the Miami Dolphins beat the Washington Commanders, the league’s return underlining its commitment to growing new markets and audiences overseas.
Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins welcomed the opportunity to travel to Europe as a landmark moment in his career, both from a personal and professional standpoint.
“Once I landed out here, I was just like, I can’t believe I actually crossed the Atlantic,” Higgins told reporters.
“It’s my first time ever, you know, crossing the Atlantic into Europe. So it’s just like it’s amazing to me, you know what I mean? Just knowing where I came from and even bringing my family out here because it’s their first time as well. So it’s pretty dope. It’s surreal.”
Kylian Mbappe joins Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson to try on NFL gear and take part in a series of drills, with the football superstar left stunned by just how tight the kit was. Watch the full video on the NFL website
Madrid star Kyle Mbappe has suggested he could be attendance for Sunday’s game following Real’s away fixture against Valencia on Saturday evening.
“It’d be dope to have him there,” Higgins said. “I watch him on TV all the time. It’s so crazy, bro. We was just talking about how fast this dude is, right? Like, how do you run that fast dribbling the ball on your feet? Like, that’s crazy.”
Falcons running back Bijan Robinson meanwhile said he plans to meet up with VinÃcius Junior and Mbappe prior to Sunday’s matchup, and on Thursday caught up with England midfielder Jude Bellingham.
Lamine Yamal opened the scoring for Barcelona against Real Betis with this stunner!
Robinson explained that he met Vinicius through a mutual jeweller when Brazil played in the US some years back, while Mbappe spent time trying his hand at American football with Robinson during a promotional event last week.
The Falcons star leads the NFL with 780 rushing yards through eight weeks, but is without a 100-yard game over his last four outings.
“I’ve got to be better for this team. I’ve got to be better for the offense,” he said. “Me and my running back coach, we always point this laser beam at the ceiling because we’re always trying to play at the highest level. And for us, helping my team win games is us playing at the highest level.”
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