- Yamal planned on studying for degree
- Realised he wasn’t ‘cut out’ for it
- Upset his mother by giving up on school
Yamal was famously studying for his school exams after he had already established himself as a first-team regular at برشلونة and a star for إسبانيا, even finding out his results during La Roja’s journey to Euro 2024 success. The 18-year-old had initially planned on taking on a university course alongside his playing career, but opted to focus on his performances.
Speaking on Jose Ramon de la Morena’s podcast, the 18-year-old confessed: “One day I called my mom and said: ‘Mom, I’m going to go to school, but I’m not going to do anything. I’m going to get ready for training this afternoon.’ And she replied: ‘What have you taken?’ I said: ‘If I focus, I’ll be a soccer player.’ She yelled at me every day, but she finally understood. I don’t recommend this to anyone, but it was my dream, and I achieved it.
“I would have liked to study a degree, but I’m not cut out for it. I told my parents: ‘If you depend on me for work, we’re screwed. But if I become a footballer, don’t worry, because I’m going to be a footballer.'”
The Barca wonderkid also opened up about his difficult upbringing and life-changing journey to football stardom, revealing the sacrifices he made as a child and the important role his mother played in keeping him grounded.
“I came from an apartment where the kitchen and bedroom were in the same place,” he said. “I see my mother happy, I see that my brother can have the childhood I would have wanted, and that’s what makes me happiest.
“For me, [my mother is] my queen; she’s what I love most.”
His new fame has made some things in life difficult, though, as he added: “It’s changed my life in every way. Before, I could do whatever I wanted: I could go out for drinks with my friends, but now I can’t. I remember the preseason this summer in Korea, اليابان, الصين – it was impossible to go anywhere… but I’m happy.”
With the possibility of becoming one of the youngest-ever Ballon d’Or winners, Yamal’s focus remains on football, but his story is also about the broader meaning of success and ensuring a better life for his loved ones. Barcelona, meanwhile, must manage both his footballing development and the immense external pressures that come with being a teenage global superstar, and the continuing of-field noise around him. Barca is set to face فالنسيا on Sept 14.
