Barcelona’s rave of the moment, Lamine Yamal has revealed that he is delighted to see kids looking up to him in the same way he looked up to Lionel Messi.
Yamal has enjoyed a steady rise since making his debut as a 15-year-old in 2023, becoming a key part of the Barcelona team, and the Spanish team.
On Monday, he won the breakthrough of the year award at the 2025 Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony, adding it to the Kopa Trophy, and Golden Boy awards he claimed last year.
Off the pitch, his shirt one of the most-sold in the club’s official store, and the most-seen in the stands at the Olympic Stadium.
Yamal was delighted to see young kids wearing his shirts on the street.
He said: “It’s incredible,” he told ESPN as part of the new Powerade Campaign which features “The 304” film in reference to his neighbourhood. “When I was a kid, I wore Neymar’s shirts, Messi’s jerseys, all these players, so seeing kids wearing my shirt means that I’m their inspiration, at least in football.
“It’s something I never thought would happen so fast: [seeing] those 13-year-old kids in the shirt of a kid who’s only four years older than them. It is amazing.
“My mum always tells me to think about [the significance]; that it doesn’t happen to just anyone, going somewhere and seeing a kid wearing your shirt. It is something that makes me very happy and is one of the things I like the most.”
Despite the fame, Yamal insisted that he has not lost any of the values instilled in him by his parents despite being a superstar.
He said: “My parents were my references in everything,” he added. “Everybody always tells me that I have a bit of my mum and a bit of my dad. I think that on the pitch I have a lot of my father and off the pitch I have a lot of my mother.
“They are two people I have grown up with and they have taught me everything. They have fought for me. The affection my father has for me is unimaginable. Thanks to him I have learned the love that one has for the family, because he is a person that gives a lot of love to people.
“So I believe that everything I have and that I will have is thanks to them. I always say I will never be able to thank them fully, but I will try.”
Yamal has been a key player in n the Barcelona team in the hunt for an historic treble this season, he has scored 14 goals, and recorded 22 assists in all competitions for the club.
He also played a major role in leading Spain to the Euro 2024 trophy last year.
