Barcelona’s Lamine says he has experienced racism ‘a thousand times’

Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal has claimed to have faced racial abuse a thousand times throughout his flourishing career. The 19-year-old is frequently the victim of discriminatory comments and behavior, despite many seemingly unaware of their own involvement in such misconduct.

During a match against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in October 2024, video footage surfaced showing Lamine, along with teammates Raphinha and Ansu Fati, subjected to racist taunts. The Spanish Observatory on Racism and Xenophobia reported in a March bulletin that Lamine and Vinicius Jr were the most common targets of online racist abuse in Spain during the latter half of 2025.

In an interview with Movistar, Lamine stated, "A thousand times." He further explained that while people can unintentionally display racist attitudes, some comments or looks directed at him go unnoticed. Lamine added, "If someone calls me Black, it’s not going to bother me at all, ultimately I'm Black, I'm not any other color. Another thing is whether it's good or bad, whether they're saying it to offend me."

Despite potential provocations, Lamine remains composed during matches, emphasizing, "But if I'm playing a match and they paid for a ticket to see me, I'm not going to get angry just because they disrespected me." LaLiga has recently intensified its efforts to combat racist abuse in stadiums following a series of high-profile incidents in Spanish football.