Lamine Yamal: The face of "new Spain"

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This week connected 60 Minutes, analogous Jon Wertheim traveled to Barcelona to research the meteoric emergence of Lamine Yamal, a subordinate galore already see the heir evident to Lionel Messi.

Although conscionable 18 years old, the Spanish winger past twelvemonth finished 2nd successful the Ballon d'Or voting, soccer's equivalent of the MVP award. It is simply a important feat for a teenager. To date, the youngest Ballon d'Or victor is Brazil's Ronaldo, who won the grant successful 1997 astatine the property of 21.

A dynamic and progressively ascendant unit for FC Barcelona, Lamine Yamal has achieved planetary designation portion inactive successful the earliest stages of his nonrecreational career.

Barcelona offers a fitting signifier for specified a prodigy. Considered 1 of the astir storied shot clubs successful the world, it was founded much than 125 years ago. The nine adjacent boasts its ain dedicated depository beside its stadium. In time, this depository volition apt diagnostic Lamine Yamal, whose endowment Barcelona scouts recognized erstwhile helium was conscionable 6 years old.

To recognize Lamine Yamal's significance, Wertheim turned to Guillem Balagué, 1 of Spain's starring shot journalists and Lionel Messi's biographer. Balagué said comparisons betwixt Lamine Yamal and Messi are inevitable but premature. He recounted Lamine Yamal's ain position aft scoring a extremity against Club Brugge: "I did it once. He did it a 1000 times."

"That's it," Balagué said. "Still a agelong way. Can helium bash it? He's got a batch of potential…. Certainly, helium looks like, retired of this generation, the subordinate that could get there."

A subordinate rooted successful galore worlds

Though young, Lamine Yamal carries a affluent and analyzable idiosyncratic identity, reflected adjacent connected his boots. His Adidas cleats show 3 symbols: Morocco's flag, representing his father's homeland; Equatorial Guinea's flag, representing his mother's; and "304," the past 3 digits of the postal codification successful Rocafonda, the migrant vicinity northbound of Barcelona wherever helium grew up.

Balagué calls Lamine Yamal "the look of the caller Spain," a state progressively shaped by immigration. That diversity, helium said, is embraced by many, though "others volition enactment it against [Lamine] if things spell wrong."

Looking up to the 2026 World Cup

The satellite volition soon person a accidental to spot Lamine Yamal connected an adjacent bigger stage: the 2026 World Cup, hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Lamine told Wertheim helium is anxious not lone for his World Cup debut, but besides for the accidental to execute successful North America.

"I deliberation that I person precise precocious expectations," Lamine Yamal told Wertheim successful an interrogation past year. "I deliberation it's been a agelong clip since Spain was a superior contender to triumph the World Cup. I spot that the state is excited. I americium precise excited…. I consciousness good. I'm truly looking guardant to it, and I'm going to bask it a lot."

Despite his youth, Lamine Yamal already thinks astir his nationalist role, particularly however young fans spot him.

"I deliberation that successful the satellite of shot and sports successful general, and among communal people, it seems to maine that determination are precise fewer genuine people," helium said. "Above all, I privation to beryllium seen arsenic a sincere idiosyncratic who says what helium thinks, not what radical privation to hear. I deliberation it's precise important to beryllium idiosyncratic who cares astir his loved ones, a idiosyncratic who conscionable wants to bask life, who, successful the end, if he's got this life, tries to bask it to the fullest."

The video supra was primitively published connected November 30, 2025. It was produced by Brit McCandless Farmer and edited by Scott Rosann.

Photos and video courtesy of ESPN and Getty Images.

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