Lamine Yamal, now a superstar and Barca’s prodigious teenage sensation, was once a humble boy in MatarĂł, Spain, in the streets of Rocafonda. Lamine’s parents, Muonir Nasraoui and Sheila Ibana, are of immigrant origin, with his father being Moroccan and his mother of Equatorial Guinea origin. To honour his parents’ origins, Lamine has flags of both countries on his boots.
How Lamine’s parents met:
Lamine Yamal’s parents met in Mataro when Mounir was a building painter and Sheila was a waitress at McDonald’s. They had Lamine on July 13, 2007, when Sheila was 21. When Yamal was 3 years old, they separated but remained ever present in his life. After their divorce, Sheila moved to Granollers, where she enrolled Lamine at the football academy of CF La Torreta. This is the academy where La Masia scouts took notice of Lamine’s talent and chose him to be a member of the prestigious academy.
The secret behind the 304 celebration
Lamine Yamal displayed exceptional talent and interest in football from an early age. At his dad’s house in Rocafonda, Lamine would spend hours playing in the streets with friends. This neighbourhood is described as forgotten and stigmatised which is why Yamal celebrates by making the gesture of 304, the last digits of the town’s postal code 08304.
Yamal’s first encounter with Messi
A picture of Lamine Yamal became viral when his talent was getting recognition at Barcelona where he was being bathed by a young Leo Messi. It almost looked as if the baby was baptised by the greatest of all time. Lamine had won the chance to be part of this UNICEF project through a lucky draw.
