Barcelona Wonderkid Lamine Yamal Poised for Spain Call-Up Amid Morocco Interest

A meeting was held on Wednesday in Barcelona between Barça, the Federation and the young player so that the latter can join the Spanish national team for these two matches against Georgia on September 8 and Cyprus on September 12, reports Mundo Deportivo. Tito Blanco, a former Masia player and football base coordinator for the Federation, and Francis Hernández, technical director and coordinator of the national teams, met with Deco, Barça’s sports director, and then with Lamine Yamal.

The meeting with the player took place in a Barcelona restaurant. "The player must make a decision," Tito Blanco said after the meeting with Yamal, whose name is already on De la Fuente’s pre-list. The Federation has no doubt that he will seize this great opportunity to start an international career with La Roja. The 16-year-old striker has made a good impression in Barça’s first team under Xavi Hernández. He was very decisive against Cádiz in the second round, which has probably prompted this call-up.

Born in Spain to a Moroccan father and an Equatorial Guinean mother, Lamine Yamal has the three nationalities and is courted from all sides to join one of the national teams of these countries. Morocco is working to convince the young striker to join the Atlas Lions, who reached the semi-finals at the World Cup in Qatar. "Everyone asks if we’re going to ’steal’ him from Spain. He can choose between three teams. He’ll play where he feels best, where his heart tells him," Rabie Takassa, a recruiter for the Moroccan Federation, said a few months ago.

Spain, for its part, has just called him up for these Euro 2024 qualifying matches. Barça should release Lamine Yamal so that he can attend the training sessions scheduled from Monday, August 28 to Friday, September 1 at the Albir Garden Resort facilities in Alfaz del Pi (Alicante). The 16-year-old player is also expected to take part in the U-17 World Cup in November with Spain. The Spanish Federation had tried to convince Abde Ezzalzouli to join La Roja, but the Moroccan winger preferred to play for Morocco. It hopes to have more luck with Yamal.