Lamine Yamal’s father sets the record straight: “Yamal isn’t a surname”
Mounir Nasraoui, the Moroccan father of Lamine Yamal, has cleared up confusion over the FC Barcelona star’s name. In a video shared on social media, he reminds fans that the footballer actually has two surnames, inherited from his parents.
On Saturday, October 31, as Barça faced Alavés, Mounir Nasraoui used a social media livestream to address his son’s fans. Many take “Yamal” to be his surname. His father wanted to set them straight.
“Yamal isn’t a surname, gentlemen! Lamine Yamal is a compound first name,” he says in a widely shared video. He goes on to give the player’s full name: “His surnames are Nasraoui Ebana. So you know, don’t get it wrong.”
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The 19-year-old Spanish international is therefore named Lamine Yamal Nasraoui Ebana, as confirmed by his official profile on LaLiga’s website. Nasraoui is his father Mounir’s surname; Mounir is originally from Morocco. Ebana is the surname of his mother, Sheila, who is from Equatorial Guinea. In keeping with Spanish custom, the player carries both parents’ surnames.
Two first names in tribute to the people who helped his parents
The choice of “Lamine Yamal” dates back to a difficult time for his parents. According to a story told by journalist Sique Rodríguez on Cadena SER, Mounir Nasraoui and Sheila Ebana had been given a place to stay by two people named Lamine and Yamal. When they could not afford to pay their rent, the two had come to their aid.
His father is said to have promised that if he had a son, he would give him both their first names as a gesture of gratitude. He kept that promise when the future Barcelona player was born, on July 13, 2007.
Lamine Yamal himself had already explained this unusual feature of his name. In April 2024, during an interview with Mundo Deportivo, the player, then 16, was asked what he preferred to be called. His answer was clear: “My first name is Lamine Yamal, but if you want to shorten it, then Lamine.”
