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Lamine Yamal Dedicated His First World Cup Goal To His Girlfriend, Sevilla’s Inés García, Weeks Before Spain Beat Argentina Tonight To Win It All

REUTERS/Mike Segar

By January Nelson
January Nelson

I dedicate the goal to my mother, my girlfriend, my friends and everyone at home in Mataró.” – Lamine Yamal

Lamine Yamal and his girlfriend Inés García embrace on the pitch after Spain's FIFA World Cup 2026 final victory over Argentina
At the New York New Jersey Stadium on July 19, 2026, Inés García joins Spain’s Lamine Yamal in celebrating the team’s victory in the 2026 World Cup final against Argentina. Photo by Alex Pantling / FIFA via Getty Images.

Spain won their second World Cup tonight, beating Argentina 1-0 after extra time at MetLife Stadium. This victory extended Spain’s unbeaten streak to 38 and became the first country to hold the men’s and women’s World Cup titles at the same time.

A few weeks ago, after Spain’s 4-0 group stage victory over Saudi Arabia, 18-year-old Lamine Yamal dedicated his first World Cup goal to those close to him.

Spain vs. Argentina in the finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup
In the final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on July 19, 2026, Spain and Argentina meet on the field. Photo by Mike Segar / Reuters.

“[I dedicate the goal] to my mother, my girlfriend, my friends and everyone at home in Mataró,” he told DAZN.

Yamal opened the scoring in the 10th minute, sliding into the far post to finish off Mikel Oyarzabal’s cross. At 18 years and 343 days old, he became Spain’s second-highest youth scorer behind Gavi.

Lamine Yamal poses with his girlfriend Inés García after Spain won the 2026 World Cup final
After Argentina won the 2026 World Cup, Lamine Yamal takes a selfie with girlfriend Inés García at the New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford on July 19. Photo by Charly Triballeau / AFP via Getty Images.

The girlfriend he talked about is Inés García Santos, known online as Inés García, a 21-year-old content creator from Seville. She goes by @ineesgaarcia on Instagram, where she has over 1 million followers, and @inesitii on TikTok, where she has around 1.5 million followers. Her content focuses on fashion, skincare, travel and everyday life. She already had an audience in fashion and beauty before the relationship went public, although her following grew significantly after that.

Spain vs. Argentina in the finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup
In the final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on July 19, 2026, Spain and Argentina meet on the field. Photo by Mike Segar / Reuters.

The two met online, according to García. He has addressed the issue many times, including on TikTok which he later deleted, saying that people continue to make up love stories about how they met. Another version of the virus says that his card was declined while he was buying snacks and Yamal stepped in to pay. García laughed off the story and said the truth is very simple: they connected through DMs and talked for months before meeting in person.

He also said that they have known each other longer than the public timeline suggested, describing it as “not exactly three years, but more beautiful months than people realize.”

Rumors about the relationship began in the spring of 2026, after they were seen holding hands during a visit to Greece. They later appeared together at a Bad Bunny concert in Barcelona. Their public debut took place in May at Barcelona’s end-of-season dinner following the club’s domestic treble. They arrived together, left hand in hand and were featured on Barça’s Instagram account.

García has always been very visible throughout the World Cup. He wore a Yamal jersey in the stands, sent messages including “Vamos mi amorrrr,” shared videos celebrating his goals and traveled with him around North America. The couple was also photographed getting food from a halal cart late at night in New York. Tonight, he was at MetLife Stadium when Spain lifted the trophy.

The relationship was low-drama, though it didn’t escape the internet rumors. Shortly after going public, gossip accounts claimed that García had left her boyfriend of five years for Yamal. He denied that and said he was never in this relationship.

Some commenters also accused him of using the relationship to gain attention due to his growing fan base. His defenders note that he already had a large audience and a career that had already begun before he was linked with Yamal.

Before García, Yamal’s dating life attracted constant attention. He was linked with Spanish promoter Alex Padilla around Euro 2024 and later criticized for a trip to Sicily with OnlyFans model Fati Vázquez when he was 17. He also denied claims involving former singer Claudia Bavel and had a brief, public relationship with Argentine singer Nicki Nicole in 2025.

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