Barcelona’s starboy Lamine Yamal was born on July 13, 2007, in Mataró, Spain, in the neighbourhood of Rocafonda. Lamine was born in a very diverse family, with his father being Moroccan and his mother of Equatorial Guinea origin. The youngster has flags of both these countries on his boots.
Baptized by the GOAT
A few months after Lamine was born, in October 2007, FC Barcelona and UNICEF partnered for a charity event. A young Leo Messi was selected to participate in the event, where he had to take photos with a bathing baby. The baby, it turns out, was Lamine Yamal, whose family was selected randomly. Blessed by the greatest of all time, Lamine was already destined for greatness.
Humble Beginnings
Lamine was a humble and talented kid who always had a gift when it came to dribbling. His talent did not go unnoticed, and he eventually started playing for CF La Torreta’s youth team. In 2014, Barcelona scouts discovered a 7-year-old Lamine Yamal and instantly recognized his potential after he was called up to play a game for them. Lamine Yamal became part of the prestigious academy La Masia, and since then, he has only gone up.
Climbing through the ranks of La Masia
In just his second year at La Masia, Lamine scored 56 goals in 30 games, displaying his special talent. In an interview with ESPN, ex La Masia coach Albert Puig said, “I coached Lamine with the U9s and later with the U13s,” Puig told ESPN. “What surprised me most with him is not that he was already a lot better than the rest of his teammates in both age groups, but that as time as passed, rather than things balancing out, which usually happens, Lamine stood out even more.” Lamine was even allowed to stay at La Masia’s residency despite being not from Catalonia.
Xavi Hernández calls up the Golden Boy
Lamine had impressive performances at the La Liga promises tournament, where he was the player of the tournament, scoring 7 goals. For U17 Spain, he continued to shine with a wonder goal vs France. A similar goal, he went on to score against France in the Euros semifinal.
Xavi knew that the kid was special and called him to train with the first team when he was just 15 years old. Lamine patiently waited for his opportunity, and it finally arrived on April 29th, 2023, when Lamine was only 15 years, 9 months, and 16 days old. Barca were leading 4-0 against Real Betis and Xavi saw it as the perfect opportunity to introduce the young sensation. So in the 83rd minute, Lamine Yamal came on for Gavi to applause from Culers. In the 11 minutes he had, Lamine impressed everyone by almost scoring and assisting Dembele.
Lamine Yamal went on to become an absolute star for Barcelona and for Spain, leading them to a Euro title at just 17 years of age. A future Ballon d’Or winner, and the future of not just Barcelona and Spain but of football itself. Lamine Yamal is on the track to become one of the greatest players of all time.
