At only 16-years-old, Lamine Yamal is well on his way to making football history. One of the youngest, and most promising, to play the sport professionally, the part-Moroccan player, who represents Spain’s national team, has all eyes on him at the moment— especially after his stellar performance against 2022 FIFA World Cup finalists France during the ongoing UEFA European Football Championship (also known as the Euros) underway in Germany.
In the semi-finals on Tuesday, FC Barcelona’s right winger scored a decisive goal that leveled the match, bringing Spain back from a 1-0 deficit. Outside his opponent’s box, Yamal curled a long-range shot past Les Bleus’ goalkeeper Mike Maignan, and straight into the top corner of his net, making him the youngest ever athlete to score a goal during a men’s major tournament, beating the previous record holder, Brazilian icon Pele.
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In light of the occasion, below, we gathered all there is to know about La Roja’s number 19. Here, 6 facts to know about Moroccan-Spanish starboy Lamine Yamal.
He’s 16
Yamal was born on July 13, 2007 in Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain, a popular municipality of the Barcelona metropolitan area, to Mounir Nasraoui and Sheila Ebana. His full name is Lamine Yamal Nasraoui Ebana.
He’s of Moroccan descent
As many might already know, Yamal’s father is Moroccan, which made him eligible to play for Morocco’s national team, the Atlas Lions. He was also eligible to play for Equatorial Guinea through his mother’s heritage. Despite all this, he chose to play for his country of birth, Spain, receiving his first call up on Sept. 1, 2023, representing La Roja against Georgia seven days later. He has since featured in 13 fixtures and scored three goals.
Before committing to Spain’s red shirt, many rumors suggested that Yamal might pledge allegiance to his father’s native Morocco. Two significant occasions fueled this speculation. First, during a friendly match between Morocco and Chile in September 2022, Yamal and his father attended the game and posed with Fouzi Lekjaa, president of the Moroccan Football Federation, right after the final whistle. Second, on Dec. 7, 2022, a day after Morocco’s historic World Cup victory over Spain, a video surfaced showing Yamal teasing his Spanish teammates while wearing a Moroccan jersey, which casted doubt on his choice.
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He went through FC Barcelona’s academy
Yamal joined FC Barcelona’s ranks at the age of seven and went through their academy. He still represents them to this day. He made his senior debut on April 29, 2023, at the age of 15 years, nine months and 16 days, coming on as a substitute in the 83rd minute of a 4–0 victory against Real Betis in La Liga.
He had to take his homework to the Euros
In an interview a few weeks prior to the Euros, Yamal revealed having to take school homework with him to Germany— where the competition is currently taking place. “I brought my homework here because I’m in the 4th year,” he said. “I have online classes too and those are going fine. I hope the teacher doesn’t get mad at me,” he added.
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He broke German child labor laws
Technically that is. According to German laws, minors cannot work past 8:00 P.M., although exceptions are usually made for athletes. Even with these exceptions, they are not allowed to work after 11:00 P.M. Violating this rule puts the employer, in this case the Spanish Federation, at risk of a €30,000 ($32,500) fine. With this in mind, it’s no surprise that Yamal has often been substituted late in the game, likely to avoid this penalty—especially during matches that kick off late or go into extra time and penalties. However, it has been reported that German authorities can be quite lenient on these matters when it comes to international tournaments, and are unlikely to fine Spain. Nonetheless, it’s an interesting fact to know.
He’s broken more records than we can count
The rising star became the youngest starter for Barcelona, the youngest player to record an assist, the youngest to score for Barcelona and in La Liga, the youngest player to feature for Barcelona in El Clásico, and the youngest player to score two goals in La Liga and first player ever to achieve this record under the age of 17.
He also became the youngest player to register more than 10 goal contributions in La Liga at 16 years and 213 days. In the Champions League, Lamine became the second youngest player to feature in the tournament, the youngest player named in a starting line-up, and the youngest player to play in a knockout phase.
He is also the youngest player and goalscorer for Spain. He is also the youngest player to provide an assist at the Euro’s, the youngest player to feature in the knockout phase, and its youngest goalscorer.
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