Lamine Yamal: Barcelona Star 1 Appearance Away From Being ineligible to Represent Morocco

• Lamine Yamal has already made three appearances for Spain and has scored twice for the team
• Yamal's father is Moroccan, meaning that the Barcelona star can represent the African nation
• Barcelona's youngster became the youngster player to be called up to the Spanish national side

Lamine Yamal is one game away from being only able to play for the Spanish national team.

The Barcelona youngster has already made three appearances for the Spanish national side at just 16, scoring twice so far.

With a game against Georgia on the horizon, Yamal is expected to make his fourth appearance for the national team and, therefore, be unable to represent anyone else.

As noted by Football Espana, FIFA rules dictate that a player can change nationality (if they are eligible to represent another country) if they have played three or fewer games for one nation.

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While extremely unlikely, Yamal technically could still switch his allegiance to Morocco, a country he is eligible to represent.

How Yamal could represent Morocco

The 16-year-old is the son of a Moroccan father and an Equatorial Guinean mother and joined Barcelona’s youth ranks when he was just seven, FIFA confirmed.

He came through the famed La Masia academy and is one of many youngsters to be making their name in the first team.

A speedy left-footed right-winger, he became a mainstay in the Barca side and even the youngest player ever selected for the Spanish national time.

Morocco’s stance on Yamal

Despite earlier reports that they offered Yamal a financial incentive to play for them, Morocco denied they are trying to persuade the player to represent them.

In October 2023, the Royal Moroccan Federation confirmed that they respected Yamal’s choice to play for Spain, The African Mirror reported.

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Lamine Yamal compared to Lionel Messi

Barcelona's rising star, Lamine Yamal, has drawn comparisons to Lionel Messi from his head coach Xavi Hernandez.

Yamal, who made history as the Catalan giants' youngest-ever La Liga debutant, is being likened to the club's greatest footballer.

The youngster is also a product from the La Masia academy and is a mainstay of the first team at 16, Sports Brief reported.