Lamine Yamal says he has faced racism 'a thousand times'

Lamine Yamal says he has experienced racism "a thousand times".

The Barcelona forward made the remarks in an interview with Spanish broadcaster Movistar, in comments reported on 18 September 2026. Reuters

Extracts of the interview were shared on social media. ESPN In them, Yamal said people are indirectly racist toward him but may not realise it, according to the BBC. The words were blunt. He spoke as someone used to dealing with it.

Yamal plays as a forward for Barcelona, the player whose main job is to score and create goals. He also plays international football for Spain. At the time of the interview, he had scored seven goals in six La Liga matches, Spain's top division. That run had made him one of the most talked-about players in the league.

His comments point to a wider problem in Spanish football. The Spanish Observatory on Racism and Xenophobia, a body that monitors discrimination, named Yamal and Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr as the most frequent targets of online racist abuse in Spain in the final quarter of 2025. That finding was reported by the BBC. Online abuse means hateful messages aimed at players on social media and other platforms. It can follow them after every match.

Yamal has faced abuse inside stadiums too. He was among the Barcelona players targeted by racist abuse during El Clasico against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu in October 2024. El Clasico is the name given to meetings between Barcelona and Real Madrid, the two most famous clubs in Spain. The Bernabeu is Real Madrid's home ground in Madrid. That night led to anger among players and supporters and fresh demands for stronger action.

For supporters picking up this story, the football context matters. Yamal is scoring freely and playing a leading role for club and country. To hear a player in that form describe racism as something he has met again and again is a reminder that success on the pitch does not shield players from abuse. It also explains why his voice carries weight when he chooses to speak about it.