From training dogs to becoming a star
©IMAGO
At 17, Lamine Yamal is the most valuable teenager in the world of football, one of the key players in Spain’s European title and the figurehead of FC Barcelona. When former Barça coach Xavi invited him to train with the pros for the first time two years ago, nobody would have dreamed that everything would happen so quickly. “I didn’t dare go into the dressing room and sat on my bike in the gym for a while, doing nothing,” Lamine Yamal describes the moment before he trained with the pros for the first time, in an interview with “France Football” published in “L’Équipe”.
“Ansu, who I knew a little, then accompanied me. Jordi Alba, Gerard Piqué and Miralem Pjanic were there. I was quite nervous because they were all players I knew from television and suddenly I was playing with them. Little by little, I lost my shyness.” The now skilled technician was 15 years old at the time and had to wait another nine months for his competitive debut.
As a winger, he impressed at the European Championships in Germany with his ball control and speed. His first training partners in childhood were his pets: “At home, I loved playing football with my dogs. My father always said that I didn’t have to be afraid and that they wouldn’t bite me, so I played with them. Dribbling past a dog is the hardest thing you can do! (laughs) That was part of my education, it was like training.” Barcelona’s football pitches were also important for Lamine Yamal.
“Playing on the concrete pitch helped me develop the mischief that is part of my game, improve in one-on-one situations and learn how to get out of the situations I face in the game. I also learned to overcome my fear of playing with older footballers and to have fun despite everything. In the end, I was always playing against opponents who were seven or eight years older than me and I had to find ways to dodge them to avoid being hit,” said Yamal, who competes in LaLiga and the Champions League against the best defenders in the world, some of whom are twice his age.
I used to be able to go out without any major problems. Now that’s no longer possible.
In 2021, Lamine Yamal was still watching the European Championship with his friends on TV screens in the shopping center – in 2024, a hype developed around him, and not only in Spain. “It’s true that I went from watching the European Championship on TV when I wasn’t yet a professional to becoming one of the protagonists that the children like to watch. And then we win. Unbelievable, isn’t it?”
While he was overcoming every hurdle in Germany with the Spanish selection, he was not aware of the extent to which his popularity had reached home. “It was only at the airport that I really realised it. People were crazy about seeing us and celebrating with us. I am more famous now. I used to be asked for photos, but I could go out without any major problems. Now that is no longer possible. When I am driving, people recognise me through the window. But I have to admit that I prefer that to not having won the European Championship,” said Lamine Yamal.
Lamine Yamal’s market value: From zero to 120 million in less than a year
When he made his LaLiga debut on April 29, 2023 in the 4-0 win against Betis Sevilla, the Catalans’ homegrown player had no market value at the age of 15. He received this shortly after his promotion from the Barça youth team to the pros and his first game as part of the professional team on August 21, 2023. The starting market value of 25 million euros set a record in the almost 20-year history of market values on Transfermarkt. Four upgrades to 90 million euros followed up until the 2024 European Championship – his outstanding tournament ensured the jump to 120 million euros, which means he is already part of the world elite at the age of 17.
Lamine Yamal has also made it onto the 30-name candidate list for the Ballon d’Or. But he doesn’t seem to be in a hurry and would also be happy to win the Kopa trophy for the best talent under 21. “If I win the trophy for the best young player this year, I will accept it with joy and then aim for higher things, as I always have.” His contract with the Catalans runs until June 30, 2026.
