"Dribbling a dog is the hardest thing to do!"

Original article from France Football, published in 2024.

Your family told us that as a child, you never let go of your football. And if someone took it from you because it was time to eat or sleep, you would start crying...

That's true! (He smiles.) I remember when I went to school, I would carry it in a bag. Just before going into class, I would hide it in my backpack because the teacher didn't want me to put it on the table. At home, I loved playing football with my dogs. My dad said I had nothing to fear, that they wouldn't bite me, so I had fun with them. Dribbling a dog is the hardest thing to do! (Laughs.) It was part of my learning process, it was like training.

What is your first football-related memory?

My first training session with CF La Torreta (at 3 years old!). I didn't really know what to do: everyone started doing warm-up exercises... I had never done that before, I wanted to go home. My dad told me not to panic, that everything would be fine and that I would get to have fun when the training really started. And by the second session, they moved me up to the next age group. La Torreta gave me a certain education: knowing how to play as a team, how to move, and how to interact with my teammates.

Which players inspired you?

Neymar was still at Santos and I really liked watching videos of him. I would go to a friend's house who had a computer and we would spend entire afternoons watching videos on the internet, then I would go home and try to replicate the same things in my room before going to sleep. I also loved Lionel Messi, obviously! Not to mention (David) Villa, Pedro, and that whole Barça team, which I watched on TV.

Did the small-sided games on the concrete court in Rocafonda, in Mataro, north of Barcelona, influence your style of play?

Playing on the Polideportivo (the municipal concrete pitch) helped me develop the street smarts that are part of my game, to improve in one-on-one situations, and to learn how to get out of the kind of situations I face in matches. I also learned to control my fear of playing with older people and to have fun despite it. In the end, I always played against opponents who were seven or eight years older than me, and I had to find ways to dodge them to avoid getting hit.

"If they compare me to Leo Messi, the best player in history, it means I'm doing things right." — Lamine Yamal

Where does this gift for football come from: your father, who was supposedly quite talented, or from Leo Messi who blessed you during a charity event when you were a toddler?

My dad was terrible! (He bursts out laughing.) He tells everyone he played well, but it's not true! Even though he was the one who took me to the park to play football and who signed me up for La Torreta with my mom. Honestly, I don't remember the photo with Messi, I was very young. My mom told me about it when I was 7 or 8. It's incredible to think that the best player in the world bathed me, but I think it's just a coincidence.

You don't think he gave you a bit of his magic at that moment?

I hope so! (He laughs.) With a bit of his magic, I could become an incredible football player, right? But it's a coincidence, nothing more.

Is it in his honor that you chose the number 19 for Barça and the national team (Messi wore it at the start of his professional career from 2005 to 2008)?

When I was called up to the national team (on September 8, 2023, against Georgia, a 7-1 win with a goal), I took number 19 because it was one of the only ones left, as I was the new kid. It's with this number that I won the first major title of my career (the Euros), knowing that with Barça I had only played seven minutes when we won La Liga (in 2022-2023, he wore number 41 with the Blaugranas and 27 last season). I then saw that people started saying it was the number Leo wore at one point with Barça and the national team. I then became more and more attached to it. It's a very special number for me, one I will wear my whole life. But I try not to think too much about the comparisons, to always be myself. As I tell my friends, for me, the most important thing is to leave my mark on football, to have a great career.

Afterward, I tell myself that if people are comparing me to the best player in history, it must mean I'm doing things right. It doesn't bother me, but I stay focused on myself.

Would you rather deliver a beautiful, Iniesta-like assist or score a solo goal from midfield like Messi?

A Leo-style move! (Without hesitation.) I remember the goal he scored against Athletic Bilbao (a solo run in the 2015 Copa del Rey final). I was getting out of the shower and asked my mom, "What's the score?" Just then, I saw Leo get the ball near the bench and start dribbling past every single defender all the way to the goal. I was blown away!

Lamine Yamal's Bio

Born July 13, 2007, in Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain. 1.80m (5'11"); 72kg (159 lbs). Forward. Spanish international (14 caps, 3 goals). Career: FC Barcelona (since 2014, professional debut in 2023). Honors: Euro 2024; La Liga 2023 and 2025, Spanish Cup 2025, Spanish Super Cup 2025 and 2026.

Do you remember the day Barça came to scout you?

I was coming home from school, and a friend of mine, who had overheard my mother talking to her friends, ran up to me shouting, "You're going to Barça!" I didn't believe him, but I still asked my mom if it was true when I got home. She admitted she didn't want to tell me because it wasn't fully confirmed yet. It was a shock! I was thinking about having a snack and going to the park with my friends, and suddenly I'm being told I'm going to sign for Barça! When I arrived at La Torreta, I already had that mastery of one-on-ones, that directness, and my style of play, but I lacked self-control. I was a bit of a "chaotic" player back then: I'd get the ball and just go challenge my direct opponent by dribbling. At La Masia, I learned to be calm and to know when to play fast, when to play slow, to play as a team—everything that makes up Barça's unique style of play.

"At La Masia, I learned to know when to play fast, when to play slow." — Lamine Yamal

In which areas do you think you have room for improvement?

Mainly on the defensive side. Forwards at big clubs like Barça or Real Madrid don't defend much, and I believe that's something to improve on. I'm going to try to focus on that.

What do you remember from your first day of training with the first team?

Two days before the Champions League match against Viktoria Plzen (September 7, 2022, a 5-1 win), Xavi called up the players who hadn't played much or at all in the league on Sunday for training, and I was asked to take part. I didn't dare go into the dressing room; I stayed in the gym for a while on the bike, doing nothing... Ansu (Fati), whom I knew a little, then walked me in. Jordi Alba, Gerard Piqué, Miralem Pjanić were there... I was quite nervous because these were players I was used to seeing on TV, and suddenly I was playing with them. Little by little, the awkwardness faded. When I made my match debut (on April 29, 2023, in La Liga against Betis), I felt good, no stress.

Are you a young man in a hurry?

No, no, I'm not in a hurry, but I'm a guy who doesn't like... (He trails off.) Let's just say that when I feel I can perform at a higher level, I don't like to settle. I like a challenge. I'd rather play less but with the best, than play all the time and have it be too easy. That was already the case in the youth teams. I'm not in a hurry, but I always want more.

Along with Nico Williams, you were one of the stars of the Euros, showing both composure and focus. How do you handle the pressure?

Ultimately, it's about having fun playing football. We are two friends playing together. Imagine if you and your best friend were both on the national team; you would probably do the same thing we do. We only think about enjoying it, having fun. Our connection is obvious when one of us scores and we dance, because that's our way of seeing football, of having a good time. It also helps us to be more relaxed, to be ourselves, and to give our best.

Did you think you would win the Euros?

We all had confidence in each other. The fact that the entire press said we wouldn't reach the quarterfinals motivated us even more. We knew what we had to do to go all the way. And we showed that we were the best team. When you play with guys like Dani Carvajal, Rodri, Nico (Williams), Dani Olmo, Pedri... you know you're capable of playing at a high level. We have a very good group, and we're already thinking about the next competition.

In the semifinal against France, despite conceding an early goal (9th minute), you kept your composure and stuck to your style of play to turn the game around.

We had also been behind in the round of 16 against Georgia (4-1), and that served as a lesson for us. We had panicked a bit, losing the ball. So we told ourselves that if we conceded a goal—as happened against France even though we were playing much better—we had to stay calm. Luckily, I equalized quickly (21st minute), which got us back on track. France is one of the best teams in the world. The match was very physical, and we won it thanks to our style of play and our character.

Tell us about your incredible goal...

During the first fifteen minutes, I realized there was space between the French defense and midfield. I found myself alone in that area when we had the ball. On that play, I saw I had room in front of me to shoot, so I tried my luck.

It takes some audacity to attempt a shot like that...

It's a matter of confidence. My teammates gave me that by telling me to play the way I know how. Our captain, (Alvaro) Morata, told me during the training camp that he knew I was capable of great things. With that confidence, you can shoot from anywhere on the pitch.

Before the match, Adrien Rabiot, after complimenting you, said: "To play in a Euro final, he'll have to do much more than what he's done so far." Was that goal your response?

I realized later that he was the one defending in front of me. At that moment, I didn't pay attention to it. In the end, even if it was perhaps a misunderstanding, it helped motivate me to have a good game. But I hold no grudge against him. He's an excellent player, and it will be a pleasure to face him again on the field.

"I could think I'm the king of the world, but that's not the case"

With this title, you set a new record by becoming the youngest player to win an international trophy, surpassing Pelé. Is that a heavy burden to carry?

Pelé is one of the best players in history; he's undoubtedly in the top 3. Breaking the record of such an incredible player is something that will stay with me for my whole life. That's what I meant when I talked about leaving my mark on football.

In 2021, you watched the Euros with your friends in a shopping mall in Mataró. Time flies, doesn't it?

It's true that I went from watching the competition on TV, when I wasn't even a professional, to being one of the main players that kids love to watch. And on top of that, we won it, which was a dream, obviously! Incredible, right?

What has this victory changed for you? There was a sort of "Yamalmania" this summer...

I didn't necessarily realize it during the competition because we were a bit cut off from the world; we didn't grasp the scale of it. I truly became aware of it at the airport. People were crazy to see us, to celebrate with us. I'm more famous now. Before, people would ask for photos, but I could go out without too much trouble. Now, it's impossible. When I'm in the car, people recognize me through the window. But, I admit, I prefer this to not having won the Euros!

That doesn't stop your mother from telling you to help with chores, from what we've heard.

I could think I'm the king of the world because I'm a European champion, but that's not the case, because my mother still asks me to go buy this or that, to put on my flip-flops, to do this or that... (Laughs.) It helps me stay grounded in reality and makes me want to keep improving day after day.

Do you see yourself at Barça for many years, or do you think you'll continue your career elsewhere?

I want to enjoy this moment, being part of the best club in the world. I want to make history at Barça; that's what matters most to me.

There were heated Clásicos fueled by the rivalry between Messi and Ronaldo. Is the era of the Yamal-Mbappé duel now upon us?

I remember those Clásicos that everyone talked about: it was crazy!

The more great players there are, at Madrid as well as at Barça, the better it is for La Liga. But no, I don't think it's the Mbappé-Lamine era now. It will be the Barça-Madrid era, as it has always been. And we will do everything we can to win the Clásicos that come our way, in order to win titles.

What do you dream of most: the Champions League, the World Cup, or the Ballon d'Or?

I would say the World Cup and the Champions League, but I can't choose... And then the Ballon d'Or, after that.

You are the clear favorite for the Kopa Trophy, which honors the best young player under 21 and will be awarded by France Football on October 28th during the Ballon d'Or ceremony. Would that be a satisfying achievement, or are you already aiming higher?

I hope to win this Kopa Trophy, give it to me! (Laughs.) As I told you, I always want more. I would like to win the Champions League, the Ballon d'Or. If I can win it, great, but I don't really think about it. I'm mainly focused on starting the season well with Barça. I don't think it's my year yet, I'm not in a hurry. This season, I will try to do my best, to win titles with Barça in order to win it. If I win the best young player trophy this year, I will gladly take it and then aim higher, as I have always done.