Sport

Lamine Yamal said he has faced racism "thousands of times" during his career

Lamine Yamal said he has faced racism "thousands of times" during his career

"Barcelona" forward Lamine Yamal emphasized that he has encountered racism "thousands of times" during his career, and also noted that many people do not even realize that their words or actions are racist.

The 19-year-old footballer has been a victim of racism several times during his career. In particular, in October 2024, footage emerged showing racism directed at Lamine, Raphinha, and Ansu Fati during a match against "Real" at the "Santiago Bernabeu" stadium.

According to a report published in March by Spain's organization against racism and xenophobia, Lamine and Vinicius Junior were the most targeted footballers of online racism in Spain in the final quarter of 2025.

"Thousands of times. People are indirectly racist towards you, but they don't even realize it themselves. Many of their words or looks contain hidden racism, but they don't notice it. If someone calls me black, I don't care at all. Indeed, I am black, not any other color. Another issue is with what intention they are saying it — whether they are saying it to insult me or not. But if I am playing on the pitch and they bought a ticket to see me, I won't get upset just because they showed disrespect towards me."

For information, the Spain national team winger is performing productively this season. He has scored 8 goals and provided 4 assists in all competitions.

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