Spain Set to Cap 16-Year-Old Lamine Yamal, Securing His International Future

Lamine Yamal had been called up by De La Fuente for the matches against Georgia and Cyprus in September, becoming at only 16 years old the youngest player to make his debut with the Spanish national team. His name appears again on the Spanish coach’s pre-list for the matches against Scotland (October 12) and Norway (October 15), reports Estadio Deportivo, adding that Yamal’s name will likely be on the list that De La Fuente will make public on Friday, October 6.

If the young player is confirmed for these matches, he will become a definitive Spanish international and will no longer be able to change his sporting nationality, much to the chagrin of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) which has unsuccessfully tried to convince Yamal to join the Atlas Lions. According to FIFA regulations, a player with multiple nationalities can no longer change his sporting nationality if he has already played more than three matches with a national team. Born in Spain to a Moroccan father and an Equatorial Guinean mother, Lamine Yamal may no longer have the possibility of playing for Morocco or Equatorial Guinea.

Barça has just renewed the young player’s contract until 2026, with a release clause of one billion euros.