From Rocafonda to Spain's Euro Dream: Yamal's Bold Switch
1 December 2025
From Rocafonda to Spain's Euro Dream
Lamine Yamal, Barcelona's breakout star, has opened up about the hardest period of his life and what influenced his decision to represent Spain.
In an interview with CBS, Yamal says the toughest time was in Rocafonda, surrounded by friends unsure of their future—whether they would become professional players, architects, or painters—and whether they would find work at all.
Yamal notes that they played for fun, and everyone dreamed of becoming a professional without truly planning how to get there.
The Barcelona star says that period was the hardest, especially when he watched his parents work hard and could not always be with him, leaving him anxious about what the future might bring.
He recalls early stops along his path, saying the longest separations from home during breaks left his mother frustrated and him uneasy.
He remembers trains to Barcelona day by day with his father: waking before dawn, having breakfast, then charging an electric scooter to cover twenty minutes to the station, wrapped in a blanket during the ride from Mataro to L Hospitalet, a journey that took an hour, often napping, then on to Sant Feliu for warmups an hour before kickoff.
A string of adventures
Yamal calls those trips 'adventures', noting the hardest part was always the return trip, exhausted and hungry.
He talks about the number 304, a symbol tied to his district postal code 08304, and says he invented that goal celebration after a suspension kept him from playing for his country and Barcelona; a way to express himself, a celebration advised by close friend Sehib that has stuck with him ever since.
He acknowledges the Rocafonda residents face hardship like many neighborhoods lacking resources, and says: We are not like Sarria or Passeig de Gracia; we are simply who we are, and that is enough.
He says they belong to a group fighting for a good life and enjoying it later; some ignore them, but the neighborhood kids remember where they came from with pride.
About potentially representing Morocco instead of Spain, Yamal says the idea existed, especially after Morocco reached the World Cup semis, but at the moment of decision he did not hesitate, always dreaming of Euro participation.
He stresses he respects Morocco and considers it his country as well, and that playing for them would not have been strange, but he felt a strong belonging to Spain where he grew up, having won the European Championship and now aiming for the World Cup.
On dribbling skills, Yamal notes, surprisingly, that in childhood he did not rely much on tricks, instead scoring many goals, running a lot, and enjoying sharp vision of play.
Messi influence
He says he was influenced by Messi's ability to thread varied, decisive through passes, and admired Modric's outside passes, which he found more exciting than dribbling.
And about sleeping on the bus during Euro 16-year-old stint, Yamal says he never thought of himself as a kid in a big tournament; he treated it as normal: board the bus, browse social media, listen to music, sleep from exhaustion, arrive and play, then head home without overthinking.
Two punchlines to sprinkle on the end: If my career path looks chaotic, you should see my playlist. And don’t worry, I’ll score the jokes as well as goals—just not in the same minute, hopefully.
