Lamine Yamal is showing two other countries’ flags on his boots while playing for Spain in the World Cup.
Spain’s rising star Lamine Yamal is showing lots of pride in his roots by wearing the flags of two other countries on his boots for his first-ever World Cup start tonight.
After coming on as a substitute in Spain’s 0-0 draw with Cape Verde, Yamal got the nod to start in Spain’s big match against Saudi Arabia at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
The Barcelona winger, who was a key player when Spain won Euro 2024, is making his 27th appearance for La Roja. But this time, he’s also honoring two other nations close to his heart.
Although born in Barcelona and having played for Spain at every youth level, Yamal has ties to Equatorial Guinea and Morocco. His mom is from Equatorial Guinea, a country in central Africa, and his dad is from Morocco, who reached the World Cup semi-finals in 2022.
Morocco tried to convince Yamal to play for them, but he told them he feels Spanish. Still, Equatorial Guinea’s football president told the BBC in 2024 that they “hold him very close in our hearts” and believe he will do great things for their football.
Proud of his background, Yamal often has both flags on his Adidas F50 boots and showed them off again during warm-ups in Atlanta, where the flags were clearly visible on the back.