Long before he became one of the biggest names in the FIFA World Cup 2026, Lamine Yamal was simply a little boy chasing a football through the streets of Catalonia, Spain.Today, the teenager is celebrated as one of the brightest stars in world football. But ask Yamal what “pressure” really means, and he doesn’t talk about packed stadiums, World Cup expectations or the weight of wearing Spain’s jersey. Instead, he talks about his parents. “My mother had me at 16, and my father searched for ways to bring food home. That’s real pressure. All I have to do is play football.”
3 Jul 2026 | 12:38
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While the teenager is being celebrated for his exceptional talent on the pitch, Yamal himself shifts the spotlight to something that’s far more important for him. It is the quiet sacrifice of his parents.
A mother who noticed her son’s passion
Image: Instagram
19-year-old Lamine Yamal was born in July 2007 to Sheila Ebana and Mounir Nasraoui. His mother is originally from Equatorial Guinea and his father had immigrated from Morocco to Spain. Yamal’s mother was only 16 when she gave birth to him. In fact, Sheila was the one who fostered Yamal’s interest in football. According to People, Sheila used to work at a fast food restaurant in Granollers. There, she met the daughter of Yamal’s future youth football coordinator, CF La Torreta’s Inocente Díez. Díez’s daughter told Ebana that if Yamal wanted to play football, she shouldn’t worry about the cost. Instead, CF La Torreta’s youth academy would find a way to cover the payments, Díez told the Spanish newspaper ARA in May 2025.
A father who never stopped believing
Image: Instagram
Yamal’s father too understood sacrifice in a different way. Having moved to Spain from Morocco, he worked to support his family while building a new life. Yamal has never hidden the reality of those years. In July 2024, Nasraoui told The Telegraph that he always believed in his son’s big dreams. “You cannot imagine how proud I am of my son. I always knew that he would achieve what he has. I had total faith,” he said. “And I have faith that he could go all the way and be greater than [Lionel] Messi.”Yamal gives the love right back to his parents. Speaking about his mom on de la Morena’s podcast, Yamal said, “For me, she’s my queen and what I love the most.”By the time Yamal was 3-years-old, his parents separated. What could’ve been a defining hardship, became an example that parenting is not measured by living under one roof. He divided his childhood between his mother’s home in Granollers and his father’s neighbourhood of Rocafonda in Mataró. Despite no longer being together as a couple, both parents remained actively involved in his upbringing.Even after the family changed shape, his involvement in his son’s life never disappeared. If Sheila’s support was mostly behind the scenes, Mounir Nasraoui became known for expressing his pride openly by sharing emotional moments after his son’s victories.Yamal reflects the same love and respect for his family. While speaking on the Fundación José Ramón de la Morena podcast, Yamal explained that providing stability for his loved ones has always been one of his biggest motivations. “I see my mother happy. I see my little brother having the childhood I wish I had, and that’s what makes me happiest,” Yamal said. He added that seeing “my father at peace in his home, my grandmother at peace in hers, and my mother having everything she wants” is “everything a child could ask for.“Perhaps that is what makes Yamal’s story resonate far beyond football. Behind every dazzling run, every goal and every trophy is a teenager who understands that the greatest victories are sometimes won long before anyone steps onto a football pitch.
