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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\nLong 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 \u201cpressure\u201d 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. \u201cMy 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.\u201d<\/p>\n 3 Jul 2026 | 12:38<\/p>\n While the teenager is being celebrated for his exceptional talent on the pitch, Yamal himself shifts the spotlight to something that\u2019s far more important for him. It is the quiet sacrifice of his parents.<\/p>\n Image: Instagram<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n 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\u2019s mother was only 16 when she gave birth to him. In fact, Sheila was the one who fostered Yamal\u2019s interest in football. According to People, Sheila used to work at a fast food restaurant in Granollers. There, she met the daughter of Yamal\u2019s future youth football coordinator, CF La Torreta\u2019s Inocente D\u00edez. D\u00edez\u2019s daughter told Ebana that if Yamal wanted to play football, she shouldn\u2019t worry about the cost. Instead, CF La Torreta\u2019s youth academy would find a way to cover the payments, D\u00edez told the Spanish newspaper ARA in May 2025.<\/p>\n Image: Instagram<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Yamal\u2019s 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\u2019s big dreams. \u201cYou cannot imagine how proud I am of my son. I always knew that he would achieve what he has. I had total faith,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I have faith that he could go all the way and be greater than [Lionel] Messi.\u201dYamal gives the love right back to his parents. Speaking about his mom on de la Morena\u2019s podcast, Yamal said, \u201cFor me, she\u2019s my queen and what I love the most.\u201dBy the time Yamal was 3-years-old, his parents separated. What could\u2019ve 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 Matar\u00f3. 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 Fundaci\u00f3n Jos\u00e9 Ram\u00f3n 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.<\/div>\nHow do you teach children about money and financial responsibility?<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
A mother who noticed her son’s passion<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nA father who never stopped believing<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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