Many might think that being just 18, playing at the highest level, and being one of the brightest football stars is a huge challenge. However, Lamine himself is convinced – real pressure looks completely different. He spoke about this recalling his parents’ life story.
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Recently, in an interview, the footballer was asked if it is easy for a young person to come to terms with such fame and responsibility.
Journalist Manu Carreño from the Spanish radio show “El Larguero” noticed that although Lamine is only 18 years old, due to his quickly gained maturity, he already lives like an adult.
However, the footballer disagreed that his career is what causes the greatest pressure.
“Don’t say that what I am going through now is real pressure. I think there are people who have had it much harder,” he said.
As an example, Lamine gave his parents – Sheila Eban and Mounir Nasraoui.
“My mother had me when she was 16, and that is real pressure. My father had to find any way to make a living, collecting things from the streets to bring food home. That is real pressure. And all I have to do is play football and make sure all Spaniards are happy,” the footballer said.
His mother Sheila is from Equatorial Guinea, and his father Mounir is from Morocco. Both parents had children at a very young age. Sheila worked as a waitress, and Mounir did various odd jobs, including painting buildings.
When Lamine was three years old, his parents separated, but both continued to be actively involved in their son’s life. Later, Sheila started a new family and had another son, Kenay, with whom Lamine shares a very close bond.
Football was a luxury for the family
Last month, the Spanish national broadcaster RTVE presented a documentary series “Denominación de Origen. La Forja de un Sueño,” revealing the personal stories of Spanish national team footballers. Among them was Lamine Yamal.
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The documentary tells that the footballer was born in Esplugues de Llobregat and moved to the poor Rocafonda neighborhood at the age of three.
“They moved here without a job or money and lived with the grandmother for a while,” said the owner of a local store.
Although neighbors remember that Lamine constantly played football in the yard, the athlete himself revealed that attending football training was too expensive for his family.
“I was not enrolled in a football school because my parents could not afford it financially. I only played in the park with kids I met there,” he recalled.
However, his talent was noticed by the head of the children’s football club “La Torreta.”
“He told my parents that I could train for free. I came to the trial, and I was lucky,” Lamine recalled.
Soon his talent was noticed by scouts from one of the world’s most famous football academies – FC Barcelona. This marked the beginning of his path to professional football.
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