Yamal changes
A year ago, at EURO 2024, the image of Lamine Yamal sitting in a hotel with a notebook and a pencil became a symbol of youth.
At the age of 16, when many of his peers were still worried about their final exams, Yamal wrote his name into tournament history by scoring for Spain.
The contrast between a teenager playing in Europe's biggest tournament and doing his homework at the same time shocked the world .
Lamine Yamal was then known as “the schoolboy of Europe”, a picture of innocence in a pressure-filled football world.
However, it only took a year for the world to see the boy grow up. Since August 2025, Yamal has officially announced his relationship with rapper Nicki Nicole.
A sweet Instagram moment – hugging each other with cake, balloons and pink hearts – confirmed the rumours.
Yamal is 18 years old, Nicki Nicole just celebrated her 25th birthday, the nearly 7-year gap and the difference in background immediately became a hot topic.
Public opinion is divided, some praise the young love, others doubt the difference, but one thing is certain: Yamal is no longer the boy hiding behind the pages of his notebooks. He confidently comes out, like any young man entering adulthood.
Controversy surrounding the young man
Nicole was one of the people who appeared at Lamine Yamal's 18th birthday party. They took a photo together but the Barca boy did not show his face.
The birthday party turned into a media storm. The lavish “Italian mafia”-style party was held in the outskirts of Barcelona, bringing together friends, teammates and even international music stars.
But what has caused a stir is the accusation that Yamal hired people with dwarfism to act as cheerleaders. Disability rights groups have condemned this as an affront to human dignity, and Spain's Ministry of Social Rights has called for an investigation.
From an innocent schoolboy, Yamal became the focus of a national lawsuit.
Meanwhile, the actors themselves insist that they were treated normally and not insulted. The story further confuses the picture.
Three milestones – the boy studying at EURO, the boy publicly dating, and the citizenship birthday scandal – are wrapped up in 13 months, like a fast-forward coming-of-age movie.
Yamal entered the age of 18 not with gentle preparation, but with direct collisions with the public.
Lessons about love, fame and responsibility came at the same time, placing a weight on the shoulders of a teenage boy that few could bear. Moreover, at EURO 2024, Lamine also had a girlfriend (they broke up right after lifting the trophy).
Yet, surprisingly, all that noise doesn't seem to affect Yamal on the pitch.
In Barcelona's shirt, he still plays with rare confidence and improvisation, continuing to be a bright spot in La Liga.
At 18, inheriting the iconic number 10 shirt, Yamal is both a global star and the centre of social debate, but every time the ball rolls, all the chaos disappears, leaving only a shining talent.
Perhaps, that is the most obvious answer: Yamal may be caught up in all kinds of storms of adulthood, but his talent on the field remains constant – something that will keep him standing, no matter how dizzying life gets off it.
Despite the noise, Yamal is still showing his version of the Golden Ball.
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/lamine-yamal-lot-xac-bai-tap-euro-sinh-nhat-on-ao-va-yeu-duong-2438545.html
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