SpainLamine Yamal Nasraoui Ebana (born July 13, 2007, in Esplugas de Llobregat, Barcelona) is a Spanish footballer who plays as a winger or midfielder for F.C. Barcelona in the Spanish First Division. He is also a full international for the Spanish national football team.
Raised in the Rocafonda neighborhood of Mataró, he was signed by Barcelona’s youth divisions and trained at La Masia. He debuted with the first team in 2023 (15 years and 87 days old), becoming the youngest player to play an official match for Barcelona.
He has represented the Spanish national team in various youth categories. At just 16 years and 57 days old, he debuted with the senior national team, setting a new record as the youngest player in Spanish history to do so and also to score a goal.
In 2024, he was one of the key figures in the Euro Cup, where Spain won its fourth continental title. His performance earned him the award for the Best Young Player of the tournament. He is the youngest player in the Euro Cup to debut and assist (16 years and 338 days), as well as to score a goal (16 years and 361 days).
He is also the youngest footballer to score in the history of El Clásico (17 years and 105 days). In his first full season, breaking multiple records, he established himself as a starter and was recognized as the best young footballer in the world by France Football.
Lamine Yamal was born on July 13, 2007, in Esplugas de Llobregat, in the metropolitan area of Barcelona. He is the son of Sheila Ebana, a waitress originally from Bata, Equatorial Guinea, and Mounir Nasraoui, a building painter from Larache, Morocco. His compound given name honors two people, Lamine and Yamal, who financially helped his parents before his birth.
Lamine Yamal‘s parents separated when he was three years old, although both remained present in his upbringing. Initially, the family lived in Mataró, but after the separation, his mother moved to Granollers, where Yamal began playing football at the local club La Torreta at four years old. He alternated his time between both cities. In Mataró, he grew up in Rocafonda, a marginalized and stigmatized neighborhood, according to El País. He celebrates his goals by showing the number 304 with his fingers, which are the last digits of the postal code 08304 of his childhood home. Without a doubt, he has brought visibility and pride to the working community of the area.
FC Barcelona (2023-present)
Lamine Yamal’s Debut Season
For the 2022-23 season, he was included in the Juvenil A squad, a category above his age group. On September 4, 2022, Xavi called him up to train with the first team along with other young players. Despite not yet having signed Lamine Yamal’s first professional contract, he was one of the academy footballers who most caught the coach’s attention.
His debut finally took place on April 29, 2023, at 15 years of age, in a National Championship match where his team, F.C. Barcelona, faced Real Betis. Lamine Yamal was a substitute, coming in with jersey number 41, replacing Gavi at the end of the second half. In his first few plays, he attempted combinations with experienced players like Robert Lewandowski and even came close to scoring a goal. After the game, Yamal earned the respect of fans and press reviews:
“Lamine Yamal seems normal, but he is not.”
Lamine Yamal, at 15 years and 290 days, became the youngest player to play a LaLiga match with Barcelona, surpassing the record of Vicenç Martínez, who debuted at 16 years and 280 days on October 19, 1941. On May 14, 2023, F.C. Barcelona was proclaimed LaLiga champion after defeating Espanyol 2-4 in the derby played in Cornellà-El Prat. With the title win, Yamal, at 15 years and 305 days, became the youngest champion in Liga history, surpassing his teammate Ansu Fati.
With Lamine’s emergence, Barcelona improved its performance from the previous year. Yamal would become the league’s top assist provider for the first time in his career, with 13 assists. In the Liga, Lamine played 35 matches and scored 9 goals, contributing to an outstanding campaign in which the team became champion on the penultimate matchday, after defeating Espanyol. He became the second youngest goalscorer in Champions League history by scoring against Monaco.
On October 26, he became the youngest player to score in a Clásico against Real Madrid—17 years and 105 days—in a 0-4 victory at the Santiago Bernabéu, surpassing Ansu Fati’s record. On January 12, 2025, he won the Spanish Super Cup against Real Madrid, with Lamine Yamal scoring a goal in the final. His goal, at the King Abdullah Sports City, which temporarily equalized for Barcelona, made him the youngest goalscorer in the history of the competition, at 17 years and 182 days.
On February 2, Lamine Yamal broke a Lionel Messi record by completing 21 dribbles in a match against Alavés. On April 26, he won the Copa del Rey, also against Real Madrid, providing two assists in the final. His performance earned him the Kopa Trophy and Golden Boy awards, which recognize the best footballer in world and European football under 21, respectively. He also received the recognition for Breakthrough Athlete of the Year at the Laureus Awards. This year, he officially appointed Jorge Mendes as his representative, who assumed responsibility for guiding his career and negotiating key contracts.