Lamine Yamal cheekily gave a woman a fake name to keep a low profile while he was out in Barcelona.
Despite word of the youngster’s extraordinary abilities with a ball at his feet extending around the world, Yamal was somehow not recognised straight away in his home city by a group of women.
The 17-year-old soared to stardom after his performances for Spain last year, winning the Golden Boy award, the Kopa Trophy and the Euro 2024 Young Player of the Tournament award.
His fairy-tale rise to the top of football continued at Barcelona this season, where he has been pivotal in the Catalan giants’ race to win LaLiga, which they lead by four points with as many games to go.
Yet his performances on the pitch have clearly not been enough for a group of average restaurant-goers in Barcelona to identify him, as he was not instantly recognised and mobbed in this interaction.
But with an inkling that Yamal was someone famous, a woman asked him as he held a camera to take a photo of her and her friends: ‘Excuse me, what is your name?’
Yamal hilariously gave a fake name when asked to take a photo of a woman and her friends
The Barcelona and Spain star insisted his name was ‘Ryan’ when asked twice by the woman
As he stood there trying to take the snap, Yamal replied with a smile: ‘Ryan.’
Not buying his bluff, the woman waved her finger and pressed further, asking: ‘And in reality?’
Yamal doubled down on his fake name, stating again: ‘Ryan.’
The woman turned around to consult her friends, with one saying quietly: ‘No, it’s Lamine Yamal.’
At that point, the group of women broke into a hubbub as Yamal’s entourage urged them to calm down and get into position for a picture.
One of Yamal’s friends said: ‘Photo, photo, photo. It’s now or never, now or never,’ which led to the women obliging and posing for the snap.
Yamal then politely carried out his photographer duties before handing the phone back.
