Barcelona Secures Wonderkid Lamine Yamal with €1 Billion Release Clause

It is now official. FC Barcelona has announced the signing of the first professional contract of Lamine Yamal, its very promising 16-year-old striker, until June 30, 2026. "FC Barcelona and the player Lamine Yamal have reached an agreement regarding the extension of the contract that binds them, until June 30, 2026," the Catalan club said in a statement, specifying that the release clause is set at 1 billion euros. A way for the club to secure its prodigy.

Yamal says he is happy to have signed his first professional contract. "I am happy and proud to sign three more years with the Club of my life. My best moments? When I arrived at La Masia and when I made my debut with the first team. I want to win many titles with Barça. It’s the dream of every child here," said the young player in a video posted on the Catalan club’s Twitter account.

Born in 2007 in the Catalan city of Esplugas de Llobregat to a Moroccan father and an Equatorial Guinean mother, Lamine arrived at La Masia at the age of 7, from CF La Torreta. At just 15 years and 290 days, he became the youngest footballer in Barça’s history to make his Liga debut with the first team. He is a "different" player who "has the talents of several footballers," Xavi Hernadez said about him, specifying that Yamal has the characteristics of modern footballers "who act with formidable awareness, great self-confidence".