Barcelona and Spain forward Lamine Yamal has opened up about his childhood, his family’s financial struggles, his relationship with Lionel Messi and the motivation behind his rapid rise to the top of world football.
In a wide-ranging interview with The Guardian, Yamal reflected on the emotional moment he embraced Messi after Spain’s 2026 World Cup final victory over Argentina, saying he approached the Argentine great to express his gratitude for what he had contributed to football.
Yamal said his words to Messi came naturally and were not intended for cameras or publicity. He said he simply wanted to thank the 39-year-old for everything he had given the sport.
The moment carried additional significance because of a famous photograph from 2007 showing Messi, then a young Barcelona player, bathing Yamal as a baby during a charity photoshoot at Camp Nou. The photograph remained largely unknown for years before resurfacing publicly in 2024.
Yamal revealed that he had previously asked his father to remove the childhood photograph from Facebook because he feared it would fuel comparisons between him and Messi.
He said he wanted to establish his own identity rather than spend his career being measured against the Argentina captain.
According to Yamal, his objective was to become recognised simply as Lamine and discover how far his own ability could take him.
Despite the comparisons, Yamal has repeatedly acknowledged Messi’s status in football. His latest comments show that while he respects the former Barcelona star, he does not want his own career defined by their connection.
The 19-year-old also spoke candidly about his upbringing in Rocafonda, a neighbourhood in Mataró, Spain, where he developed his football skills before progressing through Barcelona’s La Masia academy.
Behind his extraordinary success, Yamal said, was a family that experienced significant financial difficulties.
He recalled watching his mother struggle so that he could continue playing football and described seeing his father collect scrap metal to help provide for the family and ensure he could eat.
For Yamal, those experiences represented a different kind of pressure from the expectations he now faces as one of football’s biggest young stars.
He explained that football itself does not frighten him because he has already experienced what he considers genuine hardship. With his current financial position, he said, he is able to support his parents and younger brother, removing one of the fears that once existed in his life.
Yamal also admitted that his family’s recent experience of success has created its own unusual pressure. After winning the European Championship and then the World Cup, he joked that his family had become accustomed to seeing him win.
He said there was a point when he wondered what would happen when he eventually lost and whether his family might regard him differently.
But rather than allowing that expectation to define him, Yamal said he wanted to continue competing and improving.
His comments also revealed an approach to football that places enjoyment ahead of statistics and individual awards.
Yamal said he does not play primarily for money, goals, assists or personal recognition. Instead, he enjoys dribbling past opponents, exchanging quick passes and creating opportunities for teammates.
He particularly values making a teammate who has not scored find the net and hearing supporters react inside the stadium.
That philosophy has become a defining feature of his playing style. Yamal combines the tactical education he received at Barcelona with the improvisation he developed playing football in the streets and parks of Rocafonda.
He said Barcelona taught him control, understanding and tactical intelligence, while his neighbourhood gave him the instinct to take on opponents and play without excessive restriction.
The young forward also addressed the enormous expectations surrounding his performances and his prospects for individual honours.
Yamal said he believed he had been performing at a Ballon d’Or-winning level for longer than just the current season, although he acknowledged that his age remains part of the discussion surrounding his candidacy.
His rise has already produced a remarkable list of achievements. At 19, he has won the European Championship and World Cup with Spain, while also establishing himself as a key player for Barcelona. FIFA previously documented his emergence from childhood football and his development through the Barcelona academy.
Yet Yamal insists that the central reason he continues playing remains much simpler.
He loves football.
For the teenager who watched his parents struggle to create opportunities for him, football has evolved from a childhood passion into a profession capable of transforming his family’s circumstances.
But even with the fame, trophies and global attention, Yamal says he still wants the same feeling he had as a child: receiving the ball, taking on an opponent, creating something unexpected and enjoying the game.
That, he suggested, is the part of football he hopes never disappears.
