Lamine Yamal facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Lamine Yamal

Yamal celebrating the UEFA Euro 2024 title with Spain
Personal information
Date of birth	(2007-07-13) 13 July 2007 (age 17)
Place of birth	Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain
Height	1.80 m
Playing position	Winger
Club information
Current club	Barcelona
Number	19
Youth career
2012–2014	La Torreta
2014–2023	Barcelona
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2023	Barcelona B	1	(0)
2023–	Barcelona	57	(10)
National team‡
2021	Spain U15	6	(3)
2022	Spain U16	4	(1)
2022–2023	Spain U17	10	(8)
2022	Spain U19	1	(0)
2023–	Spain	17	(3)
Honours Men's football Representing  Spain UEFA European Championship Winner 2024 Germany
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 02:29, 3 February 2025 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 23:48, 12 October 2024 (UTC)

Lamine Yamal Nasraoui Ebana (born 13 July 2007) is a Spanish professional footballer. He plays as a winger for the La Liga club Barcelona. He also plays for the Spanish national team. People know him for his speed, amazing dribbling, and powerful shots. Many consider him one of the best young footballers in the world.

Lamine Yamal grew up in La Masia, which is Barcelona's famous youth academy. He made his first team debut in 2023 when he was just 15 years old. He quickly became a key player for Barcelona. The next year, he won the Kopa Trophy, an award for the best young player.

Yamal has played for Spain at different youth levels. He joined the senior national team in 2023. At 16, he became the youngest player to play for and score for Spain. He was chosen for UEFA Euro 2024. He played a big part in helping Spain win their fourth title. He also won the tournament's Young Player Award.

Early Life and Football Beginnings

Lamine Yamal Nasraoui Ebana was born on 13 July 2007. His birthplace is Esplugues de Llobregat, near Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain. His mother, Sheila Ebana, is from Equatorial Guinea. His father, Mounir Nasraoui, is from Morocco.

His parents separated when Yamal was three years old. Both parents were still involved in his life. His mother moved to Granollers. There, Yamal started playing football at a local club called La Torreta when he was four. He would visit both parents in different cities. With his father, he lived in Rocafonda, a neighborhood in Mataró. When he scores goals, he makes a gesture of the number 304. These are the last digits of Rocafonda's postcode, 08304. This gesture shows his pride in his working-class community.

When Yamal was six, Barcelona noticed his talent. They invited him to train at La Masia. He officially joined the club in 2014. He then moved to Barcelona to live and train at their famous academy.

Club Career Highlights

Rising Through Barcelona's Youth Ranks

Lamine Yamal quickly became one of the best young players at La Masia. He was so good that he joined the Juvenil A team, which was for older players. In September 2022, coach Xavi invited Yamal to train with the first team. He was still very young and had not yet signed a professional contract.

Yamal made his first team debut on 29 April 2023. He came into the game against Real Betis in La Liga. He was only 15 years, 9 months, and 16 days old. This made him the fifth youngest player in La Liga history. He also became the youngest player to play for Barcelona's first team in over a century. He helped Barcelona win the 2022–23 La Liga title on 14 May 2023.

Becoming a First Team Star

Yamal started his first game for Barcelona on 20 August 2023. It was a 2–0 win against Cádiz. Fans gave him a standing ovation when he left the field. In his next start, he was named man of the match. He helped set up two goals in a 4–3 win against Villarreal. Because of his great performances, he won the first-ever U23 Player of the Month award for August.

On 19 September, Yamal played his first Champions League game. On 2 October, he signed a new contract with Barcelona until 2026. His contract included a huge buyout clause of €1 billion. Two days later, he started his first Champions League match. On 8 October, he scored his first goal for the first team. This happened in a 2–2 draw against Granada. He also played in his first El Clásico match on 28 October.

On 4 December 2023, Yamal received the Golden Boy The Youngest trophy. This award goes to the youngest player nominated for the Golden Boy award.

Breaking Records in 2024

On 11 January 2024, Yamal scored in a 2–0 win against Osasuna. This was in the Supercopa de España semi-final. At 16 years and 182 days, he became the youngest player to score in the Supercopa. Two weeks later, on 25 January, he scored in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals. This made him the youngest goalscorer in that competition's history. On 11 February, Yamal scored two goals in one game for the first time. This was in a 3–3 draw against Granada.

During the 2023–24 season, Yamal broke many records for Barcelona. He played 50 games in all competitions. In La Liga, he became the youngest starter for Barcelona. He was also the youngest player to get an assist and the youngest to score. He became the youngest player to play in El Clásico. He was also the youngest player to score two goals in a La Liga game. He was the first player under 17 to do this. He also became the youngest player to be involved in more than ten goals in La Liga.

In the Champions League, Yamal became the second youngest player to play in the competition. He was also the youngest player to start a game. He was the youngest to play in the knockout rounds.

Continued Success in 2024–25

In the first game of the 2024–25 La Liga season, Yamal helped Barcelona score. He assisted Robert Lewandowski to equalize against Valencia. In the next game, he scored his first goal of the season against Athletic Bilbao. On 19 September, Yamal scored his first UEFA Champions League goal. He became the second youngest scorer in Champions League history.

On 26 October, at 17 years and 105 days old, Yamal made history again. He scored the third goal in a 4–0 win against Real Madrid. This made him the youngest goalscorer in El Clásico history. He broke the record held by his teammate Ansu Fati. On 2 February 2025, he completed 21 dribbles against Alavés. This broke Lionel Messi's record from 2007.

International Career

Playing for Catalonia's Youth Teams

Yamal played for the youth teams of the Catalonia national football team from a young age. He was made captain when he was 11 years old. He led the under-12, under-14, and under-16 teams.

In November 2022, Yamal scored an amazing solo goal against Castile and León. Later that month, he scored a penalty and assisted another goal. This helped Catalonia reach the "Fase d'Or" of the Spanish regional team championship.

Representing Spain's Youth Teams

Yamal also played for Spain's youth international teams. He played for the Spanish U15 and U16 squads.

In 2023, he played for Spain's U17 team in the 2023 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. Yamal scored 4 goals during the tournament. Spain reached the semi-finals but lost to France.

Joining the Senior Spanish National Team

At just 16 years and 50 days old, Yamal was called up to the senior international team. This was on 1 September 2023. He made his debut against Georgia on 8 September 2023. He scored in the 74th minute of a 7–1 victory.

At 16 years and 57 days old, he became the youngest player and goalscorer for Spain. He broke records held by Gavi. Yamal also became the youngest goalscorer in a Euro qualifying match. He beat the record set by Gareth Bale. Spain then qualified for Euro 2024.

UEFA Euro 2024 Success

On 7 June 2024, Yamal was chosen for Spain's 26-man squad for the tournament. On 15 June, he played his first European Championship game against Croatia. He became the youngest player to play in the tournament. He was 16 years and 338 days old. In that match, he also became the youngest player to give an assist. He set up Dani Carvajal's goal in a 3–0 win.

In the knockout phase, he became the youngest player to feature in that stage. He also provided another assist in a 4–1 win against Georgia. He gave another important assist against Germany in a 2–1 quarter-final win. He tied a Spanish record for having three assists in one European Championship.

On 9 July, he scored Spain's first goal in the 2–1 semi-final win against France. It was a curling shot from outside the box. This goal won the "Goal of the Tournament" award. He became the youngest goalscorer in Euros history. He was more than a year younger than the previous record holder.

At the end of UEFA Euro 2024, Yamal was named Young Player of the Tournament. Spain won the Euro 2024 final against England 2–1. This made him the youngest player to win the Euros. He assisted Nico Williams for Spain's first goal in the final. He became the youngest player to be involved in a goal in a major tournament final. He also tied for the most assists in a single Euro tournament with 4 assists.

Style of Play

Lamine Yamal is a left-footed forward. He is great at passing and creating chances for goals. He can play as a centre-forward, an attacking midfielder, or a winger. He often plays on the right side. As a right-winger, he likes to use his left foot. He can also curve the ball towards the goalpost.

In the UEFA Euro 2024, Yamal showed how good he is. He scored a goal against France in the semi-finals. He also gave 4 assists against teams like Croatia, Georgia, Germany, and England. In this tournament, Yamal showed he is good at creating chances. He can cross the ball to the far post and take powerful curling shots from far away.

Because of his amazing skills, people have compared Yamal to former Barcelona player Lionel Messi. Many young players from La Masia get this comparison. Yamal has also said that former Barcelona player Neymar has greatly influenced his own playing style.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances and Goals

International Appearances and Goals

Spain score listed first, score column indicates score after each Yamal goal.

List of international goals scored by Lamine Yamal

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	8 September 2023	Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena, Tbilisi, Georgia	1	Georgia	7–1	7–1	UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying
2	16 November 2023	Alphamega Stadium, Limassol, Cyprus	3	Cyprus	1–0	3–1	UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying
3	9 July 2024	Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany	13	France	1–1	2–1	UEFA Euro 2024

Awards and Honours

Barcelona

• La Liga: 2022–23
• Supercopa de España: 2025

Spain

• UEFA European Championship: 2024

Individual Awards

• UEFA European Championship Young Player of the Tournament: 2024
• UEFA European Championship Goal of the Tournament: 2024
• La Liga U23 Player of the Season: 2023–24
• La Liga Player of the Month: September 2024
• La Liga U23 Player of the Month: August 2023, August 2024
• La Liga Goal of the Month: March 2024
• Golden Boy: 2024
• Kopa Trophy: 2024
• IFFHS Men's World's Best Youth Player: 2024
• Tuttosport's The Youngest Award: 2023
• Globe Soccer Awards – Emerging Player: 2024 (Europe Edition), 2024 (Dubai Edition)
• UEFA European Under-17 Championship top scorer: 2023 (4 goals)
• UEFA European Championship top assist provider: 2024 (4 assists)
• UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 2024
• The Best FIFA Men's 11: 2024
• IFFHS Men's World Team: 2024
• IFFHS Men’s UEFA Team: 2024
• IFFHS Men's Youth (U20) World Team: 2024
• IFFHS Men's Youth (U20) UEFA Team: 2023, 2024
• UEFA European Under-17 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2023

See also

In Spanish: Lamine Yamal para niños