Spain fans disgraced themselves against Egypt, leading Lamine Yamal to call those who mocked Muslims ‘racist’.
The 18-year-old was born in Barcelona to a Moroccan father and Equatorial Guinean mother, making him eligible to play for three nations.
Yet coming through at Barcelona’s academy, Lamine kept to his roots, playing for Spain at every youth level before joining the senior squad, later winning Euro 2024.
Recently, he admitted it was a tricky time when Morocco were pushing him to switch to their senior side.
“It was a strange experience, to be honest,” he said.
“The thought of playing for Morocco was definitely on my mind. Morocco had just reached the World Cup semi-finals, but when it came down to it, I never hesitated.
“With all due respect and affection for Morocco, I’ve always wanted to play in a European Championship, to play here in Europe.
“European football is more visible and closer to the international level. While at Barça, I wanted to win a European Championship, which, thank God, I’ve already achieved, and now I want to play in a World Cup with a chance of winning it.
“I’ll always have a soft spot for Morocco. It’s also my country. Honestly, it wouldn’t have been strange or bad at all to play for them, but Spain was playing in the European Championship. I grew up in Spain, and I also feel that it’s my country.”
No hard feelings from Morocco
Morocco coach Walid Regragui later corroborated Lamine’s lack of hesitation when trying to sign him.
He commented: “We tried to bring him into the Moroccan national team, but he chose Spain. We wish him all the best. What he’s achieving at his age is remarkable.
“He was truthful with me and with the federation.
“We presented him with our vision for Morocco — the Africa Cup of Nations, which will be held in our country, the 2030 World Cup, and all the love Morocco could offer him — but he never lied or pretended to be torn between Morocco and Spain.
“He told me after just two or three days. He called me with great respect and said, ‘Coach, I thank you for everything, but I have chosen Spain. I feel Spanish, I’ve played for their national teams since I was young, and I want to continue all the way to the senior squad’.
“Of course, we want to bring the best players to the national team, but we wish him success. He’s an honest young man, and I really appreciated that conversation. He will be one of the great stars of world football.”
Did Lamine make a mistake?
Despite Regragui’s well-wishes, not everyone feels the same about Lamine’s choice.
Speaking at the time, Morocco legend Mustapha Hadji said: “Even if he plays for Spain, the affection the Spanish will have for him will never be the same as that of the Moroccans.
“So it’s a shame he didn’t choose Morocco, because if he had, things would have been different.
“It’s sad because, as I recently read in a Spanish newspaper, some journalists were saying: ‘We have Pedri, we love Pedri, we love Yamal, but we don’t love him as much as Pedri.’
“So that means he made a mistake. I would have liked him to play for Morocco. He will always be Moroccan, even if he plays for Spain.”
In agreement was former Sevilla goalkeeper Yassine Bounou who commented: “Everyone is free to choose where they want to play, as long as they don’t speak ill of us and throw stones at Morocco.
“I sincerely feel that Lamine Yamal is one of us even though he chose Spain.
“I enjoy watching him. It’s been a long time since I’ve watched a game for a specific player. We wish him the best; he’s clearly a good guy.”
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