Lamine Yamal says that the kitchen and the bedroom were in the same room where he grew up, and seeing his brother get the childhood he never had is what makes him so happy.

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Lamine Yamal says that the kitchen and the bedroom were in the same room where he grew up, and seeing his brother get the childhood he never had is what makes him so happy.

David Ramos/Getty Images Sports via Getty Images

Chris Lavergne

Updated 1 hour ago,
July 17, 2026

“I moved out of an apartment with a kitchen and a bedroom in one place. – Lamine Yamal

Spain are in Sunday’s World Cup finals at MetLife Stadium after beating France 2-0 in Dallas on Tuesday, and three-year-old Keyne Yamal is their biggest fan. After Spain defeated Belgium in the quarter-finals, the big screen at the stadium in Inglewood caught him pulling a face with joy, while the cameras then found his older brother Lamine looking up, watching him stick his tongue out, and laugh.

Lamine Yamal and his younger brother Keyne on the field at Sotify Camp Nou before the LaLiga match — Lamine Yamal shares a moment with his younger brother Keyne at the Spotify Camp Nou stadium before Barcelona’s LaLiga clash with Real Oviedo on January 25, 2026. Photo by David Ramos / Getty Images.

Yamal knew it was coming. “I was in physio and he called me using my mother’s phone and told me he was going to take out his tongue tomorrow,” he said after the game. “That’s why when I saw him in the mirror, it really made me laugh.”

Lamine Yamal celebrates a goal during the World Cup qualifier between Turkey and Spain in Konya — Lamine Yamal celebrates Spain’s fourth goal against Turkey in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier at Konya Büyükşehir Belediye Stadium on September 7, 2025. Photo by Ozan Kose / AFP via Getty Images.

The two share a mother but different fathers, and Yamal, who just turned 19, talks about Keyne as a parent. “My little brother means everything to me. I’m in love with him, it feels like he’s my son,” he told reporters in early July.

Lamine Yamal was blocked by his Barcelona teammate when he clashed with Real Madrid players on the field at Santiago Bernabéu — Teammates hold Lamine Yamal during a warm-up with Real Madrid players at the Santiago Bernabéu during El Clásico on October 26, 2025. Photo by David Ramos / Getty Images.

Lamine Yamal is standing on the field talking to his younger brother Keyne Yamal at Spotify Camp Nou — Lamine Yamal shares a moment with his younger brother Keyne at the Spotify Camp Nou stadium before Barcelona’s LaLiga clash with Real Oviedo on January 25, 2026. Photo by David Ramos / Getty Images.

That dedication goes back to where he started. “My mother found me when I was 16, now that’s real pressure,” he told Cadena SER. “Then my father had to go out and make a living, scavenging on the streets to bring food home. That’s a lot of pressure. All I have to do is play and keep the Spanish fans happy.”

Lamine Yamal playing with his younger brother Keyne on the football field after the Barcelona game — After Barcelona’s La Liga win over Athletic Club Bilbao, Lamine Yamal shared a moment on the pitch with his brother Keyne at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys on August 24, 2024. Photo by Lluis Gene / AFP via Getty Images.

Speaking on a podcast with José Ramón de la Morena, Yamal explained why watching Keyne grow up in a different world is what really moves him: the one-room house he came from, and the childhood he wants his brother to have.

Lamine Yamal crouching on the field with his younger brother Keyne at Spotify Camp Nou — Lamine Yamal shares a moment with his half-brother Keyne at the Spotify Camp Nou stadium before Barcelona’s LaLiga clash with Real Oviedo on January 25, 2026. Photo by David Ramos / Getty Images.

Yamal scored just one goal in his first World Cup and conceded a goal against France for offside, but Spain defended for offside and Mikel Oyarzabal’s penalty and Pedro Porro scored in the final, holding Kylian Mbappé clean for the first time in the entire tournament after his eight-goal Golden Boot performance. Keyne has been in big moments before, celebrating on the pitch when Spain won the 2024 European Championship and turning up at the Ballon d’Or ceremony the same year in a black suit. Spain will face either Argentina or England on Sunday, chasing their second World Cup title and first since 2010.

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