Lamine Yamal Nasraoui Ebana (born 13 July 2007) is a Spanish footballer who plays as a forward for La Liga club Barcelona.
Born in Mataró, Spain, to a Moroccan father and an Equatorial Guinean mother, Lamine Yamal spent most of his youth in Barcelona.
Lamine Yamal Club career
Growing through the youth ranks of La Masia, Yamal was soon viewed as one of the academy’s best prospects. Whilst added to the Juvenil A team—already above his age grade—for the 2022–23 season, Yamal was selected by Xavi to train with the first team along other youngster in early September 2022.
Whilst still yet to sign his first professional contract with the club, he appeared to be one of the academy members to most impress the Catalan coach.
He made his first-team debut on 29 April 2023, replacing Gavi in the 83rd minute in a 4–0 win against Real Betis in La Liga, becoming the youngest player to ever appear for Barcelona’s first team at 15 years, 9 months, and 16 days old.
Lamine Yamal International career
Yamal is a youth international for Spain. In 2021, he played 4 games and scored 1 goal for Spain under-16s.
In 2022 he also played with the Spanish under-15s.
Barcelona
Lamine Yamal joined Barcelona’s La Masia academy at the tender of five in 2012 and has played for the club youth sides ever since then. His rare talent saw him promoted to the Juvenile A team of the club for the 2022/2023 season despite being just 15 years of age.
Lamine Yamal talents and exploits for Barcelona youth teams also meant he was noticed by head-coach Xavi Hernandez who invited the winger to train with Barcelona’s first team squad alongside some of his teammates in September, 2022.
Lamine Yamal is yet to sign a professional contract with Barcelona but the talented attacker is already considered the next big talent in the famous La Masia academy that has produced the likes of Pedri and Gavi in recent years.