Lamine Yamal has opened up in the United States. The Barcelona and Spain winger Lamine Yamal sat down with CBS for an in-depth interview on “60 Minutes.” The teenager spoke about his life today, his early career, and one of his biggest dreams: playing in the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Here are his full comments.
Life off the field
How are driving lessons going?
It is hard because I have not studied since I left school. I have to start with the written test and take it little by little. I am not in a rush, but I do want that freedom of driving on my own.
What kind of car will you drive?
Hopefully the one my friends want so they can enjoy it too. It will not be a Lamborghini, but an Audi, a Mercedes or a Cupra would be fine.
Playing with joy
When you play, are you really having as much fun as it looks?
No doubt. When I play, it is the best moment of my day. Playing, enjoying time with my teammates. You can tell when I am happy on the field and you can see it in my game.
How would you describe yourself as a player?
I think fun. Fun is the word. I play so people enjoy watching and so I can put on a show.
Are you an athlete who entertains or an entertainer who happens to be a good athlete?
An athlete who entertains and whose goal is not to break every record or score a million goals or do a million dribbles. I want to enjoy it and for kids to want to be like me.
Playing with instinct
What would you say is your superpower in soccer?
I would like to change someone’s day. If someone is sad and comes to a game, I want them to watch me play and feel better when they go home.
So it is not about goals or assists. It is about changing moods?
I have never thought before a match that I need to score four goals and give three assists. I think instead that I want to enjoy it, try something I learned the day before, do what I did in the park as a kid, entertain people and have fun with my teammates. If I score a lot of goals, great. But soccer is more than that.
When you have three defenders around you, how do you make decisions?
I try to trust myself. Even if I see three rivals, I am not going to think I will lose the ball. Even if it happens, I always try to take them on. That is my game. I would be a different player if I passed every time I saw two or three defenders. I try to resolve situations in the best way possible and make the best play for the team.
Sounds like instinct...
Yes, it is more instinct and confidence.
Growing up with the ball
What has been your relationship with the ball?
Since I was young, kids from neighborhoods without many resources see soccer as everything. It puts everyone on equal footing. Whether you come from a lot or a little, on the field you are the same. You can connect, make friends. All you need is a ball and a goal. It is love. It is the first love of my life and always will be. My friends, my parents and I are all in love with soccer. It is everything to me. It will always be with me.
Favorite goals and respect for opponents
What is your favorite goal so far?
I have three. Well, four. But if I have to choose one for its beauty and importance, the goal I scored against France at the Euros. I also really liked the one against Brugge last month.
Do you feel sorry when you leave opponents on the ground?
Last preseason we played a team from South Korea. In those matches I try to go one hundred percent, but the opponent is not always the same level. Sometimes they ask me to slow down a little. Not out of pity, because we are playing soccer, but I try to touch the ball more and lower the pace. They are people too. They are playing against me and it will be everywhere online. Sometimes I slow down. But in a Champions League match, never.
Being a teenager among adults
You are still a teenager. Some of your opponents are ten or fifteen years older with kids at home, and you dribble past them...
I think about how they must feel. If I were a defender, I would not like a much better player beating me every time. I would tell him to slow down because my friends would make memes about me later.
You debuted at 15. Were you nervous?
Not when I entered the field, but when I warmed up and saw Camp Nou, realizing it was happening. I felt nerves, but the good kind. Everything burns in your stomach and time goes fast. It is adrenaline, nerves and excitement at once.
Family, fear and growing up
When was the last time you felt afraid?
When I came back from vacation and had to go back to my mom’s house.
What is harder: playing for Barcelona or being the little kid playing with the big ones in your neighborhood?
Without a doubt, Rocafonda (the neighborhood he grew up in). No one knew what their life would become. Soccer, architecture, art, a job. We played for fun and all wanted to be soccer players, but no one expected to make it. That uncertainty is harder. You see your parents working, not always able to be with you, and you feel nerves. You do not know what will happen to you.
Why did going home to see your mother make you nervous after vacation?
Being away for a long time. That alone is enough for my mom to tell me something.
Early sacrifices and the meaning of 304
What do you remember about taking the train with your father to play for Barcelona?
I woke up early because we went by train. I ate breakfast, charged my electric scooter and rode it twenty minutes to the station. I carried a blanket. From Mataro to Hospitalet was an hour and I slept. From Hospitalet to Sant Feliu I started warming up because the match was in one hour. It was an adventure with my dad. The worst part was going back home. It was a long trip and I was starving.
What does 304 represent?
It is our neighborhood symbol. Our postal code. In Barcelona, all codes start with 08. Ours is 08304. One time I was suspended and could not play for Spain or Barcelona. I wanted a celebration to show who I was. My best friend Sohaib told me to do that gesture and it worked. It stayed.
Rocafonda, identity and Spain
Do you think Rocafonda is forgotten?
Like many neighborhoods without resources. We are not Sarria or Passeig de Gracia. We are who we are and it is enough. Those wealthier neighborhoods are remembered because important people come from them. We fight the most to live a good life and we enjoy it together. Maybe others forget us, but never those of us who are from there. We know where we come from and are proud of it.
Do you see yourself as the face of a new Spain?
It is relative. You do not decide that yourself. People decide who the star is. I am happy that people feel excitement when they watch me. I know many come to the stadium to see me. I do not think about it. It will happen only if people want it. I am open to it, but it is up to them.
How close were you to choosing Morocco instead of Spain?
It was strange. I did think about the possibility of playing for Morocco. They had just reached the World Cup semifinals. But at the decisive moment, I never doubted it. With all love and respect for Morocco, I always wanted to play in Europe. European soccer is seen more and is closer to international competition. Playing for Barcelona, I wanted to win a Euro, which thankfully I have, and now play a World Cup with a chance to win it. I will always have love for Morocco. It is also my country. It would not have been strange or bad to play for them, but Spain was playing the Euros. I grew up in Spain and feel it is my country too.
Technique, creativity and soccer IQ
Let’s talk about dribbling. How do you practice those moves?
The strange thing is that as a kid, I did not dribble much. I scored a lot, ran a lot and had good vision. Watching Messi, I learned different kinds of passes. Some players can play long balls, but Messi played passes that led to goals. I saw a lot of outside-of-the-foot passes from Modric. Those things interested me more than dribbling. I used my head more.
A 16 year old at the Euros
Sixteen years old, playing at the Euros, and you fall asleep on the bus. How?
I never thought about being 16 and playing the Euros. It felt natural. On the bus, I checked social media, listened to music and fell asleep because I was tired. I arrived, played, enjoyed it and went back to the hotel. I never thought that I was playing the Euros. It felt like a tournament I wanted to enjoy because it was my dream.
Pressure and expectations
You do not believe in pressure?
Pressure is mental. I have never felt it and do not know if I ever will. My parents felt pressure. They were young, had me, had to support the family, make sure I was happy, buy gifts. That is pressure, and the bad kind. I cannot feel pressure playing soccer. I try to enjoy it and think how much harder my friends had it.
What expectations do you have for your first World Cup?
Very high. It has been a long time since Spain arrived as a real contender. The country is excited and so am I. I could not arrive in a better moment. I feel important and confident. I cannot wait.
Ali and Jordan were older athletes who guaranteed victories. So, is Spain going to win the World Cup?
In English? Yes.
A teenage star navigating life
Will you still have braces at the World Cup?
I will have to call my dentist and ask. I think they look good on me. I will keep them.
People say expectations are out of control. What do you think?
Expectations belong to each person. I do not have any. Expectations are bad. If you meet them, you lose your goals and if you do not, you fall apart. I believe I can achieve what I want.
Does your mentality help you survive?
Life puts you in unexpected situations. My personality has helped me survive. When I am at my worst, I think about the good things. That keeps me from falling apart. In soccer, that is essential. I have never gone to sleep sad or crushed. I always think I will do better tomorrow.
Support system and staying grounded
Successful athletes have people around them who can tell them no. Who is that for you?
Everyone in my circle tells me no. If I say I want to go out, they say no. If I want to go eat, they say no. The question is who I listen to. I listen to my mother.
Your mother is the queen...
No doubt.
Some things do not change no matter how many goals you score...
She does not care about goals. She is in charge and I am happy with that.
Can you live like a normal teenager?
Can you ever be a normal kid your age?
It is difficult. Even if you want to, you never will be. A normal 18 year old leaves school and goes home. I leave training and there are paparazzi outside my house asking about my life. I turn on the TV and I see myself. I walk outside and see a kid wearing my jersey. I want to grab a drink but cannot because people stop me. I look for simple things like playing PlayStation or eating with my mom or spending time with my brother. But I will never be a normal 18 year old because people do not see me that way and I cannot act like one.
Messi, inspiration and magic
We still have not talked about Messi...
I am surprised. There were moments when you could have brought him up and you did not. I was waiting for the question. This is the interview where it has come up the latest.
Have you heard the expression “game respects game”?
I respect him for what he is in soccer. If we meet, there will be mutual respect. He is the best ever. He knows I am a good player and that I respect him. It is mutual. We both know I do not want to be Messi. I want my own path. I do not want to play like him or wear number 10 because of him or anything like that.
You create magic in tense moments. Where did you learn that?
In my neighborhood. The field was there with walls where people sat. There was no better feeling than making those people stand up and laugh in amazement. I feel that again when fans rise after a play I make.
You really do not mind being a star...
No, not at all. I even like it.
Rekindling love for soccer
Beyond being an extraordinary player, you make fans fall in love with soccer again. Are you aware of that impact?
In my team I have someone named Bernardo who tells me after each game that I made him love soccer again. Many people tell me that. My mom watches every match now and before she watched only a few. Women, grandmothers, grandfathers stop me and tell me they watch games again. Kids stopped wearing soccer shoes to school, which used to be normal. Now they are wearing them again. Tourists are buying the Barcelona number 10 jersey. It is coming back. It makes me realize the impact.
A fast life and future generations
Some say your life is going too fast and you should slow down. What do you say to them?
Imagine you have a job and someone asks if you want to be the boss. Would you say you are going too fast? There is my answer.
How do you want to be seen by kids?
There are not many sincere people in soccer. I want them to see me as someone who says what he thinks, not what people want to hear. Someone who cares about his people. Someone who wants to enjoy life because if you have this life, you should enjoy it fully. I do not think about what others say. I value what I have and want people to see me as I am, not one person in interviews and another in private.
What makes you happiest?
Playing soccer, no doubt. It is what makes me forget everything.