Lamine Yamal was 16 years and 338 days young when he made his first European Championship appearance on June 15, 2024. This makes the Spain teenager the youngest player ever to play in a European Championship.
But that’s not the only record set by the super-teenager, who made his breakthrough at FC Barcelona in the 2023/24 season and is already being compared to none other than Lionel Messi.
Who is this Lamine Yamal, who will be competing at EURO 2024 against players who could even be his fathers?
Where is he from, how much does Yamal earn at FC Barcelona, does he already have a girlfriend and who is his idol?
Lamine Yamal: Origin & Parents
Lamine Yamal Nasraoui Ebana, as his full name is, was born on July 13, 2007 in Esplugues de Llobregat, a small suburb of Barcelona.
Lamine Yamal’s parents come from Africa. His father Mounir Nasraoui comes from Morocco, his mother Sheila Ebana comes from Equatorial Guinea.
Little Lamine discovered his love of the ball at a very early age. He initially played for the local club Rocafonda. He whirled and worked his magic and was given the honorable nickname “little Messi” even back then.
It was therefore fitting that the super talent soon caught the attention of FC Barcelona. As a 5-year-old (!), he transferred to the Barca youth academy
He progressed through all age groups in the famous “La Masia” faster than others – even faster than all the club icons, from Lionel Messi downwards. At 13, he was already playing in the U16s, and so on.
In the summer of 2022, Yamal skipped an entire age group and was part of Barcelona’s U19 team from then on. In the autumn, then Barca head coach Xavi brought him up to train with the professional team for the first time.
On April 29, 2023, at 15 years, nine months and 16 days, Yamal became the youngest player in the history of FC Barcelona to play in the Spanish La Liga.
He achieved this with a substitution in the match against Betis Sevilla a few minutes before the end of the game.
Lamine Yamal age – his records
- At 16 years and 38 days, he is the youngest player ever to start for FC Barcelona.
- At 16 years and 83 days, he is the youngest player ever to start a Champions League match.
- At 16 years and 87 days, he is the youngest La Liga goalscorer of all time.
- At 16 years and 213 days, he is the youngest player ever to score two goals in a La Liga match.
It wasn’t long before the super talent was also called up to the Spanish national team. And in the Furja Roja jersey, he did what he did in the Barca jersey for weeks on end: Setting records.
At the age of 16 years and 57 days, he made his international debut against Georgia on September 8, 2023, becoming the youngest Spanish international of all time.
He thus replaced Gavi (2021; 17 years and 62 days). Lamal’s goal to make the final score 7:1 also made him the youngest goalscorer in the history of the Furia Roja – Gavi (2022; 17 years and 304 days) previously held the record here too.
And there was also a Yamal record at EURO 2024: he is the youngest player ever to have scored at a European Championship
Lamine Yamal profile: Age, height, origin
Fun Fact: Lamine Yamal has already brought about a rule change on the console. EA Sports lifted the age limit for the young star. Players were previously only integrated into EA Sports FC (formerly FIFA) after their 17th birthday. EA made an exception for super talent Yamal
Lamine Yamal: Salary, contract & exit clause at FC Barcelona
Normally, 16-year-olds do not yet have a salary. However, Lamine Yamal is not a normal 16-year-old, but one of the most talented footballers of our time. And so – because FC Barcelona looks after its youngsters – he already has a pretty decent income.
But not even for that long, because until recently, when he was not yet 16, he was not allowed to sign a professional contract. That changed on July 13, 2023. On his 16th birthday, he signed a professional contract with FC Barcelona. There could hardly have been a bigger present.
Yamal’s contract with FC Barcelona runs until June 30, 2026 and contains a release clause of 1 billion euros.
How high is Lamine Yamal’s salary at Barca?
Yamal’s salary is said to be around 1.6 million euros per year. A tidy sum for a 16-year-old teenager who is still at school.
Yamal earns around 130,000 euros per month and around 30,700 euros per week. If you calculate Yamal’s Barca salary per day, he rakes in 4,300 euros a day.
Nevertheless, Yamal’s salary is only at the lower end of the internal Barca salary rankings. Top stars such as Frenkie de Jong and Robert Lewandowski, who earn €37 million and €27 million per year respectively, are right at the top.
However, the Barcelona salary of Lamine Yamal – who also already has a lucrative private deal with Adidas – is likely to rise quickly.
According to Spanish media reports, there is also an agreement that Lamine Yamal’s Barca contract will be automatically amended as soon as he turns 18. At that point, his current contract will be terminated and a new one signed, which runs until June 2030 and provides for a significant pay rise.
By then at the latest, Lamine Yamal’s salary will be raised to the level of the superstars.
Star agent Jorge Mendes, who also has Cristiano Ronaldo under his wing, among others, is likely to be responsible for this. Mendes paid the Yamal family around three million euros to take over their son’s agenda.
This means that Lamine Yamal could perhaps make a mega move to PSG, Real Madrid or Manchester City in the next few years…
What shirt number does Yamal have?
What number does Yamal play with at FC Barcelona and in the Spanish national team?
Since the super-teenager joined the Barca professional squad, he has played with the number 27.
In the second team he was seen with the number 39. When he was still playing for the FC Barcelona U19s, Yamal wore the number 7
In the Spanish national team, 19 is Yamal’s shirt number.
A second number in connection with Lamine Yamal is interesting. He celebrates his goals, sometimes crossing his hands while celebrating and displaying the numbers 3, 0 and 4.
These are the last digits of the zip code of his Rocafonda district, where he grew up.
Does Lamine Yamal have a girlfriend?
Lamine Yamal played himself into the focus of international soccer fans at EURO 2024. This has also increased interest in his private life.
Is there a Yamal girlfriend?
There are currently no signs that there could be a second great love in the life of the Spanish super-teenager alongside his love of football. Yamal is completely focused on his soccer career – and he also has to go to school.
There is also no indication on his social media profiles that Lamine Yamal has a girlfriend.
The attacker recently spoke about girlfriends and marriage in an interview with the Youtuber xBuyer.
Yamal said, “I plan to get married when I’m 26 years old.” That means he still has ten years from then to find the right girl.
He should have no shortage of offers, as he said: “Recently, a girl approached me in an elevator, asked me for a photo and then said: Give me your phone number, I need it. “
