Yamal on racist abuse – “When people started saying Nico and I weren’t Spanish…”

Barcelona starlet Lamine Yamal has revealed in a documentary that he pays little attention to what is said about him online, be it racist or not. The 17-year-old for the first time during a game suffered racial abuse in October at the Santiago Bernabeu as Barcelona thrashed their most bitter rivals 4-0.

The teenage star has always been keen to pay homage to his upbringing, trademarking a celebration where he makes the numbers ‘304’ with his hands to the camera. It references the end of the postal code for the area of Rocafonda, where he grew up, and one that is decidedly working class. Lamine Yamal explained that his mother kept him away from any trouble though.

“I always tell her I’m so grateful because, despite how difficult things were for her, she made it so that I didn’t see anything bad. Maybe I didn’t have the best childhood in the world, but she made sure I didn’t see anything, I only saw the beautiful and enjoyed myself. I have nothing to reproach her for,” he told DAZN, as quoted by Sport.

Lamine Yamal explains that when he was racially abused by Real Madrid fans at the Santiago Bernabeu, his mother was more concerned about it than he was.

“My mother was very worried; she thought I might be sad. She called me worried and was surprised because I was happy with my friends because we had won. It’s also true that if we had lost, it might have affected me more. In the end, the important thing is to enjoy life. When someone insults you, and on top of that, they’re angry because they lost, I don’t think you should pay attention.”

Nowadays, the 17-year-old says he pays little attention to what is said about him online, something that became a conscious decision before the Euros in Germany.

“I remember that the first year I did look at comments on social media, but before the Euros, when people started saying that Nico and I weren’t Spanish, I stopped. Normally in the press, when they say bad things about you it’s because they’re from the other team, and when they say good things about you it’s because they’re from yours. If anyone has to say anything to me, it’s the coach, the captains, the people on the team, or my family, and that’s what’s important.”

These days Lamine Yamal is a national hero in Spain, having helped deliver their fifth major tournament in their history, and the first since their ‘golden era’. The Blaugrana star only made his debut in professional football a little over a year before he celebrated winning the Euros in Germany, and if anything, he is the most common name to be seen on a Spain shirt amongst the younger generation these days.