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At his first major international tournament, Lamine Yamal was a 16-year-old schoolboy who had to finish his homework in between matches as Spain were crowned European champions.
Yamal, who turned 17 the day before the Euro 2024 final victory over England, was studying for his ESO exams, a Spanish educational equivalent to GCSEs in the United Kingdom or a United States high-school diploma.
He had just finished his first senior campaign with Barcelona, with whom he made his debut aged 15 in April 2023, and that summer, he shone even brighter on the bigger stage — scoring a spectacular goal against France in the semi-finals and being voted young player of the tournament.
Two years on, he still has his cheeky smile and he still wears braces, but his profile has changed. Now, he is an international celebrity.
Yamal has starred in several commercial campaigns in the build-up to the World Cup, sharing the limelight of Adidas’ big promotional play alongside actor Timothee Chalamet, Argentina icon Lionel Messi, rapper Bad Bunny and Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham.
Last Thursday, he was announced as UNICEF’s newest goodwill ambassador, following in the footsteps of Messi and David Beckham.
The boy from Rocafonda — an underprivileged neighbourhood of Mataro, the small coastal Catalan town where Yamal grew up — now inhabits an altogether different plane of superstardom. And he is making it his own.
At Euro 2024, Yamal turned up with a backpack full of schoolwork. When joining up with his Spain team-mates in late May, he arrived in a Chanel outfit that was picked out by his private fashion stylist. From the handles of his matching handbag hung an exclusive set of pink Beats headphones that are not yet available to purchase.
Under an Instagram post shared with his 43.3million followers, Spanish pop star Rosalia (28m followers) was among those appreciating his look, writing: “Estilazo (incredible style).”
This is the new Yamal. He is the best at Barcelona, the best with Spain. For many, he is the most exciting player at this entire World Cup — the game’s biggest stage of all.
Yamal has never held himself back. Earlier this week, he spoke on his YouTube channel about switching from Nike sponsorship to Adidas back in 2023 because he saw a better platform to increase his profile.
“Nike had Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior, and I saw a huge gap for me to become the new face of Adidas,” he said. “I was 15. I trusted myself, and it was the best decision.”
Nor has Yamal shown signs of it negatively affecting his game. He finished second in the Ballon d’Or for 2025 in September, just behind Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembele, and has only gone from strength to strength with Barca, scoring 24 goals and providing 18 assists over this past season — his best return — as Hansi Flick’s side retained their Liga title.
Yamal pictured on the sidelines of Spain’s 1-1 friendly draw with Iraq on June 4 (Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)
Yamal has already wowed football’s most dedicated fans with several incredible individual performances, including at Euro 2024 and in big Champions League games.
Watching his displays with Barca more regularly has been a joy.
He has always been a silky winger, gliding with the ball stuck to his feet from the right flank of the attack, but most crucially, his intelligence and decision-making have now reached a different level.
His football IQ seems to know no bounds. He can read every situation in the game and has added even more end product. It makes it hard to put a ceiling on his potential.
“It was good for me not to win that Ballon d’Or,” Yamal said on his YouTube channel. “It helped me keep growing. It’s possible it was not my time.”
Speaking to DAZN in May, his Spain team-mate Rodri said: “He will surely win the Ballon d’Or one day. He is already a star. You think about everything he has ahead of him and it’s incredible. He is not just the future — he is a reality now, too.”
In a separate interview with Spanish radio station Cadena Ser last week, Rodri also praised Yamal’s attitude and maturity as he recounted an early anecdote from their training base in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
As one of the group’s senior figures, Rodri helped set up a team dinner. Yamal came to him to ask permission not to attend “as he wanted to stay at the hotel and rest to be ready for the World Cup”, Rodri said.
“He is so focused. I see him in perfect form,” the Manchester City midfielder added.
That reflects another change.
During Euro 2024, Yamal was often described by team-mates as a childish but refreshing presence; always keen on messing around, cracking a joke, and having fun. In short, what you expect from a 16-year-old.
Yamal is now notably driven by a broader self-awareness. He knows what he has become, enjoys it and wants to make the best of it, but he is also calmer; still up for a laugh but equally focused on what he has to do in training.
“I see him more as a man now, rather than a kid,” said Spain and Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella last week, speaking on another Spanish radio station, Cadena COPE.
“He has had to deal with certain situations being super young and he’s done that really well. Honestly, I don’t know if I would have been able to cope like he does. When I was his age, I was a nobody playing for Barcelona’s B team — but in my head, I thought I was already a star.
“When all my friends ask me about Lamine Yamal, my reply is always that he’s doing amazing. Taking into account that, at 18, he is one of the most famous people around, that he can’t even go for a walk down the street and how naturally he deals with it, I can only admire him.”
Yamal arrives at the World Cup during his recovery from a hamstring injury picked up in April (Coral Scoles-Coburn/Getty Images)
Yamal, who turns 19 on July 13, the day before the World Cup semi-finals, has not played for club or country since suffering a hamstring injury in a 1-0 home win over Celta Vigo on April 22. Spain fans across the country held their breath as he limped off the pitch. There were real fears that it could lead to him missing the World Cup.
The following day, tests showed a muscular tear — fortunately without signs of any tendon damage. He would have missed the tournament with that.
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente included Yamal in the squad he announced on May 25, despite there being a chance of him having to miss their first two games. His recovery process has been extremely carefully managed, and the player did not miss a single session at Barcelona’s training ground.
He’s also been closely monitored by physiotherapist Fernando Galan, who works with Yamal both at Barca and with Spain. Galan is at the national team’s base camp too, assigned to have a special focus on the forward.
That care and dedication — as well as the genetics of a young body — has made for a quick recovery. Yamal is now expected to be available for Monday’s Group H opener against Cape Verde, although Barca would prefer De la Fuente to wait a bit longer before reintroducing him. Yamal’s total desire to make it back in time has played a big part, too. He is expected to start on the bench, though.
Those close to Yamal say he sees the World Cup as the biggest competition in world football — much more than a Champions League or any domestic trophy. Not taking part was simply not an option.
Now, the scene is set for him to make an even bigger splash than he did at the Euros, this time in front of a truly global audience. The World Cup is all about moments like these. Pele, Diego Maradona, Messi, Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe each wrote historic chapters in their football stories at this tournament.
Yamal is Spain’s irreplaceable genius, an exciting attacking threat with no equal, a player De la Fuente has built his team around — which helps explain why they are, for many, favourites to win.
On a personal level, he has already achieved so much in these transformative past two years. If he fulfils expectations this summer, his standing will go fully stratospheric.
