Lamine Yamal facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Lamine Yamal

Yamal in 2024
Personal information
Full name	Lamine Yamal Nasraoui Ebana
Date of birth	(2007-07-13) 13 July 2007 (age 18)
Place of birth	Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)	Winger
Team information
Current team	Barcelona
Number	10
Youth career
2012–2014	La Torreta
2014–2023	Barcelona
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2023	Barcelona B	1	(0)
2023–	Barcelona	73	(14)
International career‡
2021	Spain U15	6	(3)
2022	Spain U16	4	(1)
2022–2023	Spain U17	10	(8)
2022	Spain U19	1	(0)
2023–	Spain	20	(6)
Medal record Men's football Representing  Spain UEFA European Championship Winner 2024 Germany UEFA Nations League Runner-up 2025 Germany
Signature
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 03:23, 6 June 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 03:23, 6 June 2025 (UTC)

Lamine Yamal Nasraoui Ebana (born 13 July 2007) is a young Spanish football star. He plays as a winger for La Liga club Barcelona and the Spanish national team. People know him for his amazing skills, how he creates chances, and his fantastic long-range goals. Many think he is one of the best players in the world.

Lamine Yamal grew up playing football at Barcelona's famous youth academy, La Masia. He joined Barcelona's main team in the 2023–24 season. He became the youngest player ever nominated for the Ballon d'Or award at just 17 years old. In 2024, he also won the Kopa Trophy, given to the world's best young player. In the next season, Yamal was a key player as Barcelona won three major titles: the La Liga title, the Copa del Rey, and the Supercopa de España. This is called a domestic treble.

Yamal has played for Spain's national teams at different youth levels. He made his debut for the senior national team in 2023. At 16 years old, he became the youngest player to play for and score for Spain. He was chosen for UEFA Euro 2024, where he helped Spain win their fourth title. He also won the tournament's Young Player Award. Yamal holds many records in his international career. He is the youngest player to appear in a UEFA European Championship final (at 17). He is also the youngest player and youngest goalscorer in a European Championship (both at 16).

Early Life and Family

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

His parents separated when he was three years old. However, both parents were still involved in his childhood. The family lived in Mataró for a time. Yamal's mother later moved to Granollers, where he started playing football at age four. He would visit both cities to spend time with his parents.

Yamal grew up in Rocafonda, a neighborhood in Mataró. He celebrates goals by making a gesture of the number 304. This number comes from the last digits of the local postcode, 08304. This gesture shows his pride in his working-class community.

When he was six, Barcelona noticed Yamal's talent. He was invited to train at La Masia, their famous youth academy. He officially joined the club in 2014. Yamal moved to Barcelona to live and train at the academy. Growing up, his football heroes were Ronaldinho, Lionel Messi, and Neymar.

Yamal has a younger half-brother named Keyne, born in 2022. He also has a younger sister named Baraa.

Club Career

Youth Development

Yamal quickly became one of the most promising players at La Masia. He was moved up to the Juvenil A team for the 2022–23 season. This team was for older players than him. In September 2022, coach Xavi invited Yamal to train with the first team. He was one of the young players who impressed the coach the most.

Yamal made his first team debut on April 29, 2023. He came into the game against Real Betis in La Liga. Barcelona won 4–0. He became the fifth youngest player in La Liga history at 15 years, 9 months, and 16 days old. He was also the youngest player to play for Barcelona's first team in over a century. He won his first title with Barcelona on May 14, 2023, as part of the squad that won the 2022–23 La Liga.

2023–24: Breaking into the First Team

Yamal was still part of the Barcelona Atlètic squad. However, he started his first game for the main club on August 20, 2023. This was a 2–0 win against Cádiz. He received a standing ovation when he left the field. In his next start, Yamal was named man of the match. He helped set up two goals in a 4–3 win over Villarreal. He was named the first ever U23 Player of the Month for August.

On September 19, Yamal played his first Champions League game. Barcelona won 5–0 against Royal Antwerp. On October 2, Yamal 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 against Porto. On October 8, Yamal scored his first goal for the first team. This was in a 2–2 draw against Granada. He also played in his first El Clásico match on October 28.

On January 11, 2024, Yamal scored in a 2–0 win against Osasuna. This was in the Supercopa de España semi-final. He became the youngest player to score in the Supercopa at 16 years and 182 days. He played in the final against Real Madrid on January 14. Two weeks later, on January 25, he scored in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals. He became the youngest goalscorer in that competition's history. On February 11, Yamal scored his first two goals in one game (a brace). This was in a 3–3 draw against Granada.

In the 2023–24 season, Barcelona finished second in La Liga. They reached the Champions League quarter-finals. Yamal played 50 games in all competitions. He broke several records for Barcelona. He became the youngest starter, youngest to assist, youngest to score, and youngest to play in El Clásico in La Liga. He was also the youngest player to score two goals in a La Liga game. In the Champions League, he became the second youngest player to play in the cup. He was also the youngest player to start a game and play in the knockout phase.

2024–25: Winning More Titles

In the first game of the 2024–25 La Liga season on August 18, Yamal helped Barcelona win 2–1 against Valencia. He assisted Robert Lewandowski's goal. In the next match on August 24, Yamal scored his first goal of the season against Athletic Bilbao. On September 19, Yamal scored his first Champions League goal. This was in a 2–1 loss to Monaco. He became the second youngest scorer in Champions League history at 17 years and 68 days.

On October 26, Yamal became the youngest goalscorer in El Clásico history. He scored Barcelona's third goal in a 4–0 win against Real Madrid. He was 17 years and 105 days old. On April 30, Yamal played his 100th game for Barcelona. This was in the Champions League semi-final first leg against Inter Milan. He scored the first goal in a 3–3 draw. Inter's manager praised Yamal, calling him "a phenomenon born every 50 years."

On May 11, 2025, Yamal played a key role in Barcelona's 4–3 comeback win over Real Madrid. Barcelona was losing 0–2. Yamal scored a curling shot that tied the game at 2–2. This win was Barcelona's fourth straight Clásico victory of the season. It brought them close to winning the La Liga title. Many experts and players now say Yamal is the best player in the world. He is also a favorite to win the Ballon d'Or for the 2024–25 season.

2025–26: Wearing the Number 10

On May 27, 2025, Yamal agreed to a new long-term contract with Barcelona. This contract will keep him at the club until June 30, 2031. He will sign it on his eighteenth birthday. Reports say his contract could be worth a lot of money each year. This would make him one of Barcelona's highest-paid players. On July 16, at the contract signing event, Yamal was given Barcelona's famous number 10 shirt.

International Career

Playing for Catalonia

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

In November 2022, Yamal scored an impressive goal against Castile and León. Later that month, he scored a penalty and assisted another goal in a 2–2 draw with Aragon. This result helped Catalonia move forward in a regional championship.

Playing for Spain

Yamal 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 European U17 Championship. Yamal scored four goals in that tournament. Spain reached the semi-finals but lost to France.

On September 1, 2023, Yamal received his first call-up to the senior national team. He was just 16 years and 50 days old. Coach Luis de la Fuente selected him for UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying matches. Yamal made his senior debut on September 8, 2023, against Georgia. 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. Spain later qualified for UEFA Euro 2024.

On June 7, 2024, Yamal was chosen for Spain's 26-man squad for Euro 2024. On June 15, he made his debut in the European Championship against Croatia. He became the youngest player to play in the tournament, at 16 years and 338 days. He also became the youngest player to provide an assist in the tournament. In the round of 16 match against Georgia, he became the youngest player to play in the knockout phase. He also provided another assist in a 4–1 victory.

Yamal provided 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. He scored Spain's first goal in the 2–1 semi-final win against France on July 9. His curling shot from outside the penalty area was named goal of the tournament. He became the youngest goalscorer in the history of the Euros. At the end of Euro 2024, Yamal was named Young Player of the Tournament. Spain's 2–1 victory against England in the Euro 2024 final made him the youngest player to win the Euros. He assisted Nico Williams for Spain's first goal in the final. This made him the youngest player to be involved in a goal in a major tournament final. He also tied the record for most assists in a single Euro tournament with four assists.

In the 2025 UEFA Nations League Finals, Yamal scored two goals. This included his first professional penalty kick. This was in a 5–4 semi-final win against France.

Playing Style and Achievements

Lamine Yamal is a left-footed player. He is excellent 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 make accurate crosses to the far post. He is known for his ability to cross the ball with the outside of his foot, which is called a trivela.

Yamal had a great performance in the UEFA Euro 2024. He scored a goal against France in the semi-finals. He also provided four assists in the tournament. These assists were against Croatia, Georgia, Germany, and England. In this tournament, Yamal showed how good he is at creating chances. He also showed his strong shots and curling ability from far away.

Because of his skills, Yamal has been compared to former Barcelona player Lionel Messi. Many young players from La Masia are compared to Messi. Yamal has also said that former Barcelona player Neymar greatly influenced his own playing style. Many media sources describe Yamal as the best young footballer in the world. Some even say he is the best teenage footballer ever.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances

International Appearances

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
4	23 March 2025	Mestalla, Valencia, Spain	19	Netherlands	3–2	3–3 (aet) (5–4 p)	2024–25 UEFA Nations League A
5	5 June 2025	MHPArena, Stuttgart, Germany	20	France	3–0	5–4	2025 UEFA Nations League Finals
6					5–1

Awards and Honors

Barcelona

• La Liga: 2022–23, 2024–25
• Copa del Rey: 2024–25
• Supercopa de España: 2025

Spain

• UEFA European Championship: 2024
• UEFA Nations League runner-up: 2024–25

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, 2024–25
• La Liga Player of the Month: September 2024
• La Liga U23 Player of the Month: August 2023, August 2024, February 2025
• La Liga Goal of the Month: March 2024
• IFFHS Men's Player of the Month: April 2025
• 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)
• Laureus World Sports Award for Breakthrough of the Year: 2025
• 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
• La Liga Team of the Season: 2024–25
• UEFA Champions League Team of the Season: 2024–25
• The Athletic European Men's Young Player of the Season: 2024–25
• The Athletic La Liga Team of the Season: 2024–25
• UEFA Nations League Finals top score: 2025 (shared)

See also

In Spanish: Lamine Yamal para niños

• Afro-Spaniards