Inside Lamine Yamal’s sensible however humble upbringing: From being held and bathed as a child by Lionel Messi to heartbreaking dad or mum cut up as Barcelona star’s dad is ‘stabbed in a parking lot

Lamine Yamal, extensively considered one of the crucial thrilling younger soccer skills lately, burst onto the scene as a gifted winger for Barcelona in his teenage years. 

He furthered his rise to stardom at Euro 2024, registering an help within the ultimate as Spain beat England to win the event earlier than celebrating together with his household on the pitch. 

The 17-year-old’s speedy ascent to prominence within the soccer world is rooted in his upbringing, together with his supportive dad and mom enjoying a key function in nurturing his pure expertise. 

However, heartbreak struck earlier this week when Yamal’s father, Mounir Nasraoui, was taken to hospital after being attacked in a parking lot in Mataro, close to Barcelona – based on Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia. Nasraoui’s situation is claimed to be critical however secure. 

In mild of this heartbreaking information, we mirror on the roots of Yamal’s extraordinary journey and the function his household has performed in shaping his early years.

YAMAL’S CHILDHOOD 

Yamal’s journey to soccer stardom started with a humble upbringing, however his prodigious expertise shortly attracted consideration, incomes him the nickname ‘Mini-Messi’ earlier than he was even an adolescent. 

Yamal was born on July 13, 2007, in Esplugues de Llobregat – which is within the Barcelona metropolitan space of Catalonia, Spain however lived in Mataro for almost all of his childhood.

He grew up in a modest family which contained his dad and mom, grandmother, uncle, auntie and 4 of his cousins – based on La Vanguardia. 

Yamal’s father, of Moroccan descent, and his mom, from Equatorial Guinea, raised him with a robust sense of identification and instilled in him the significance of staying grounded regardless of his rising success.

Yamal’s mom, Sheila Ebana, was a waitress whereas his father, Mounir Nasraoui, was a constructing painter. Nevertheless, the pair separated when Yamal was three years outdated however remained ever current in his life. 

THE IMPORTANCE OF YAMAL’S GRANDMOTHER

In 1990, on the age of 40, Yamal’s grandmother launched into a life-changing journey from Tangier to Spain, crossing the Mediterranean with little greater than a passport and her financial savings – based on La Vanguardia. 

With simply sufficient cash for a bus ticket, she made her method to Catalonia, the place she started working at a campsite in Llavaneres. After two years, she moved to Vilassar de Mar to work at a nursing dwelling earlier than ultimately settling within the Rocafonda neighborhood. 

12 months by 12 months, she reunited her household in Spain, bringing over her kids one after the other. Abdul was the primary to reach, adopted by Mounir, Lamine’s father, who joined the household on the age of 9. 

Now 73 years outdated, Yamal’s grandmother has proudly attended her grandson’s video games at each the Olympic Stadium in Montjuic and the Nou Camp, witnessing the legacy she helped create.

YAMAL’S PARENTS

Yamal’s dad and mom, Mounir and Sheila, first met in Mataro and welcomed Lamine when Sheila was simply 21. After their divorce, Sheila requested a switch from her job at McDonald’s in Mataro to a different department in Granollers, the place she enrolled Lamine at CF La Torreta. Sheila now lives within the Maresme area together with her present accomplice, they usually share a youthful son, Keyne, Lamine’s brother. 

Meahwhile, Mounir, born within the Nineteen Nineties, additionally pursued soccer however struggled to show skilled, main him to juggle varied jobs to assist his household. Regardless of these challenges, Mounir’s love for the sport performed a major function in shaping Lamine’s early ardour for soccer.

YAMAL’S EARLY TALENT 

From an early age, Lamine displayed an distinctive curiosity in soccer. Mataro, like many cities in Catalonia, is steeped in soccer custom, and it was widespread for younger boys to play soccer within the streets, parks, and schoolyards. 

Lamine was no completely different—when at his dad’s home in Rocafonda he would spend numerous hours kicking a ball round with buddies, honing his expertise and growing the aptitude that may turn into his trademark right this moment. 

El Pais described his father’s neighbourhood as ‘forgotten, remoted and stigmatised’ however that did not matter to Yamal – who celebrates his targets by making a gesture of the quantity 304, the final digits of the native postcode 08304.

Yamal was additionally joined La Torreta soccer membership in Granollers on the age of 4 so he might play soccer whereas together with his mom. However, it wasn’t lengthy earlier than scouts started to take discover of the younger boy from Mataro.  

His dad and mom, recognising his ardour, allowed him the liberty to discover his skills whereas guaranteeing he maintained a balanced life together with his research – one thing we noticed at Euros 2024 with the 17-year-old finding out between video games. 

YAMAL’S EARLY YEARS AT BARCEOLONA 

On the tender age of seven, Yamal was recruited into FC Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy. La Masia is famend for growing a number of the biggest footballers on the earth, together with Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernandez, and Andres Iniesta. 

For Yamal, being scouted by Barcelona represented a major milestone in his younger life. It marked the start of a brand new chapter, one full of alternatives to develop his expertise at an elite stage.

Yamal’s dad and mom performed a pivotal function in his transition to La Masia. Although excited by the chance, they have been conscious of the pressures that would include being thrust into the highlight at such a younger age. 

It is stated that his father, specifically, emphasised the significance of remaining humble and centered, whereas his mom ensured that Lamine remained related to his roots and maintained a way of identification past soccer.

However, having been drafted into the Juvenil A workforce—enjoying past his age group— for the 2022-2023 season, Yamal caught the eye of Xavi, who invited him to coach with the primary workforce alongside different younger prospects in early September 2022. 

Though he had but to signal his first skilled contract with Barcelona, Yamal shortly stood out as one of many academy gamers who left a robust impression on the coach. 

YAMAL’S FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH MESSI 

Yamal is extra accustomed to Lionel Messi than most, however their first encounter wasn’t precisely how an aspiring expertise would plan on assembly such a world class footballer. 

Yamal first laid eyes on Messi whereas sitting in a shower tub. I do know, it sounds unusual however the Spanish celebrity was just some months outdated when the assembly passed off.  

Yamal’s dad and mom had received a raffle of their hometown of Mataro, 20 miles north-east up the Catalan coast from Barcelona, for his or her son to be a part of a photoshoot contained in the dressing rooms on the Nou Camp for a charity calendar. 

One picture reveals Yamal in a blue plastic bathtub as Messi laughed and held a hand out to him. One other picture reveals Yamal’s mom crouching down beside the footballer and her son. 

Joan Monfort took the photographs at Barcelona’s stadium, the Nou Camp, the place Messi performed for 17 years and made greater than 500 appearances and scoring 474 targets within the course of.

Monfort, who works as a contract photographer for The Related Press and others, stated the picture shoot passed off within the guests’ altering room when Yamal was just some months outdated.

The Barcelona gamers have been requested to pose with kids and their households for a calendar as a part of an annual charity drive by native newspaper Diario Sport and UNICEF.

Talking concerning the shoot, Monfort stated: ‘We made the calendar with the assistance of UNICEF. So UNICEF did a raffle within the neighborhood of Roca Fonda in Mataro the place Lamine’s household lived.

‘They signed up for the raffle to have their image taken on the Camp Nou with a Barca participant. They usually received the raffle.’

It wasn’t a straightforward task, he recalled, primarily as a result of Messi wasn’t certain find out how to work together with child Yamal, who was in a plastic tub for the shoot.

‘Messi is a fairly introverted man, he is shy,’ Monfort stated. ‘He was popping out of the locker room and all of the sudden he finds himself in one other locker room with a plastic tub stuffed with water and a child in it. It was difficult. He did not even know find out how to maintain him at first.’

HOW YAMAL IS GETTING ON TODAY 

Yamal has shortly established himself as one in every of soccer’s brightest younger stars, each for Barcelona and Spain. Debuting for Barcelona’s first workforce at simply 15 years outdated, he made historical past because the youngest participant to ever characteristic for the membership in La Liga. 

Since then, he has continued to interrupt information, turning into the youngest participant to attain in a UEFA Champions League match and the youngest to register an help within the competitors. 

Internationally, Yamal made his senior debut for Spain on October 12, 2023, turning into the youngest participant to take action. His contributions have been vital throughout the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers, the place he scored his first worldwide objective and supplied vital assists, serving to Spain safe their place within the event.

His performances in Euro 2024 additional cemented his standing as a rising star, contributing to Spain’s profitable marketing campaign with key assists and targets, together with an important help within the ultimate as Spain received the event.