Lamine Yamal’s dad shares his real name while fixing an important detail
Lamine Yamal’s dad recently cleared up a mix-up about the Barcelona star’s real name—turns out, a lot of people have been saying it wrong.
The 19-year-old has quickly become one of the top players in the world and even finished third in the recent Ballon d’Or voting, which Harry Kane won in London.
This Barcelona star has already won La Liga with his club and both the Euros and World Cup with Spain, making him a big name everywhere. But there’s been some confusion about his name, which his father has now set straight.
During a live broadcast, Mounir Nasraoui explained that Lamine Yamal is his son’s first name, and his last name is actually Nasraoui Ebana.
“I’m going to tell you something, guys,” he said. “His name is Lamine Yamal, but Yamal isn’t his last name. His surname is Nasraoui Ebana. I want everyone to understand that. ‘Lamine Yamal’ is his full name. That’s why his dad calls him that—through good times and bad.”
He added, “And remember, you’ll never beat him as long as Lamine Yamal is on the pitch.”
Lamine himself doesn’t seem bothered by the confusion. When he was 16, he told Mundo Deportivo that he’s happy to have his name shortened. “My name is Lamine Yamal, but if you want to shorten it, then just Lamine,” he said.
His name, “Lamine Yamal,” appears on the back of his shirt for both Barcelona and Spain and is a big part of his identity.
Even though his last name is often forgotten, Yamal is proud of his family roots. Born and raised in Barcelona and having played for Spain at every youth level, he also has connections to Equatorial Guinea and Morocco.
His mom is from Equatorial Guinea in central Africa, and his dad is from Morocco, in North Africa. He even has the flags of both countries on his boots, saying he’ll always feel close to them.
Because he was eligible to play for Morocco too, the country tried to persuade him to join their team.
His grandmother on his dad’s side, Fatima Nasraoui, moved to Spain on her own back in the 1990s. She took a bus from Morocco to Spain for a better life, eventually making it to a town called Mataró.
“She worked morning, afternoon, and night shifts to save money so she could bring my dad and aunt to Spain,” Lamine said on the Fundación José Ramón de la Morena podcast.
After making it big from humble beginnings, Lamine bought his grandmother a house in the working-class neighborhood of Rocafonda where he grew up.
His signature ‘304’ celebration is a nod to that neighborhood, a way of never forgetting where he came from.