Lamine Yamal (foto: Getty Images)
Lamine Yamal is a football prodigy, his parents have faced numerous challenges. The Spanish footballers won the European Championship, becoming European champions for the fourth time. The biggest star and surprise is Lamine Yamal, who turned 17 last Saturday.
Additionally, the footballer made headlines because his parents were chosen for a calendar shoot with Barcelona players as part of a UNICEF campaign 16 years ago. At that time, the young Yamal was bathed and held by Lionel Messi, one of the greatest footballers of all time.
Lamine is currently the most sought-after footballer in the world, and Barcelona officials have told wealthy clubs that his sale is out of the question, with a buyout clause of an incredible one billion euros until June 2026. Reportedly, PSG is willing to pay 350 million euros for the young Spaniard, and Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, and wealthy clubs from Saudi Arabia have also inquired.
Lamine is the child of immigrants from Africa, born in Esplugues de Llobregat in Catalonia. His father, Mounir Nasraoui, is from Morocco, and his mother, Sheila Eban, is from Equatorial Guinea. His father is a mason and painter by profession, and his mother is a waitress. His parents struggled to reach Spain, where they met and fell in love.
Unfortunately, they divorced when Yamal was three years old but remained on good terms. The boy lived with his mother and saw his father every weekend. His mother later remarried, giving Yamal another brother on his mother's side. He celebrated his first major trophy with the Spanish national team with him on Sunday night.
The young footballer grew up in Granollers and Mataró, as his parents lived separately. He started training football at the age of four. When he was six, his mother decided to move to Barcelona, specifically to a suburb populated by African immigrants. His father did the same. It was here that the boy began training, and his talent could not go unnoticed at La Masia, Barcelona's football academy. One move by his mother helped kickstart his career.
"I knew he would be a star the moment he was born," said Nasraoui proudly to reporters before Sunday's Euro final.
About the encounter with Messi, Yamal's father said, "It's one of those coincidences in life. Or maybe Leo's blessing to Lamine, I really don't know," he joked.
The Yamal family lived in Rocafonda, a classic working-class suburb of Barcelona, and the young footballer has not forgotten this. Whenever he scores a goal, he dedicates it to his suburb, friends, and former neighbors by showing the number 304 with his fingers, representing the last three digits of Rocafonda's postal code.
"He always went to the sports center to play with everyone, with children aged seven or 15, 17, and 18. And yes, he matured faster than others, and I'm proud of everyone who contributed to that," said Yamal's father.
Scouts from Barcelona's La Masia academy noticed Yamal's talent, and the boy passed all aspects of the trial. He received a place at the academy, a scholarship, a room, food, education, and football development. He has repaid the investment by breaking records.
Lamine Yamal debuted for Barcelona's first team at 15 years and 290 days, becoming the fifth youngest player in the club's history. At 16 years and 57 days, he became the youngest goalscorer for the Spanish national team. At the European Championship, he was the youngest player to score in the competition's history at 17 years and 304 days.
At 16 during the La Liga season, Yamal became Barcelona's youngest starter, the youngest player to provide an assist, the youngest to score for Barcelona, and the youngest to play in El Clásico.
He also became the youngest player to score more than 10 goals in La Liga at 16 years and 213 days.
Yamal has gone through all the youth national teams and made his senior debut on September 8, 2023, against Georgia, where he also scored.
Many experts point out that this is just the beginning for him.