Eighteen-year-old Lamine Yamal, considered one of the world’s greatest talents and an indispensable part of the Spanish national team, actually has Moroccan and Equatorial Guinean roots.
His father is Moroccan and his mother is Guinean. For this reason, Yamal has continued to wear boots featuring the flags of Morocco and Guinea, even while playing for Spain.
Speaking on the program Resonancia de Corazon, Yamal explained how his family came to Mataro, Spain:
“The first one to arrive was my grandmother. She managed to sneak onto a bus from Morocco and made it to Mataro. My father couldn’t come at the time and stayed in Morocco. When my grandmother earned some money, she paid a woman to bring my father and his sister.”
“My mother, meanwhile, came with my other grandmother from Guinea and eventually arrived in Barcelona. My parents met here, and afterward we started living in a residence for young parents. There was a dining hall and everything. After that, we lived thanks to people who let us use a room in their homes.”
“Until my parents separated. After that, my father stayed with my grandmother, while my mother and I moved to Granollers. I went to school, came back, went to training, and only saw my mother at night when she returned from work.”
“My mother couldn’t spend much time with me because of work, but when she came home at night, she always made me dinner. I bought her a house wherever she wanted; she’s my queen, she deserves everything. What I want most in this world is her happiness.”
“I remember she once bought me a PlayStation 4, and at the time it meant everything to me. I had a second-hand PlayStation 2 and 3, and then finally a brand-new 4. Now I play the PlayStation 5 a lot. I have a friend from La Masia named Bryan, and we’re always playing and having fun. I could own the biggest mansion in the world, but I will always keep the PlayStation 4 in my living room.”
At the age of 15, Yamal made his first appearance for Barcelona. His words make it clear that he remains deeply connected to his family and his roots.