Lamine Yamal: "She is my queen and the most valuable thing I have in life!"
The 19-year-old Barcelona star describes poverty in childhood, the sacrifices of his mother Shila Ebane and how family shaped his success.
Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal, 19, reflected on his journey from poverty to football stardom and paid an emotional tribute to his mother, Shila Ebane, saying she is the centre of his life.
From a single-room apartment to a home for his family
In a wide-ranging conversation on the podcast "Resonancia de Corazón", Yamal recounted the harsh conditions of his childhood and the sacrifices his mother made to support his rise. "I lived in an apartment where the kitchen and bedroom were the same place. We had nothing. And that's why this success means much more than just money. I bought my mother the house she wanted! I asked her which neighborhood she would like to live in and I just told her: wherever you want, we'll buy it there. Today, I see my mother happy and I see my brother enjoying a childhood only I could have wished for – so, that is what really makes me happy," he said.
The Barcelona forward acknowledged that his achievements on the pitch have brought him wealth and global recognition, but he insists those rewards are meaningful because of the way they have changed life for his loved ones. He also said he has helped to ease the worries of his father and grandmother and to secure a better future for his entire family.
Yamal reserved his warmest praise for his mother. "My mother now has everything she could wish for. She is my queen, she is the most precious thing I own in life. She is everything a child could wish for from a mother," he said, framing her as the guiding force behind his success.
He credited his mother's strict approach to his balanced upbringing: despite his talent, she insisted he complete schoolwork and would threaten to forbid him from playing until homework was finished. That discipline, Yamal said, kept him grounded as fame arrived.
Now one of football's brightest young stars at club and international level, Yamal says the real measure of his success is the smiles and stability he has been able to bring to his family.
Photo: press material from the event
