Spanish international of Moroccan and Equatorial Guinean heritage, Lamine Yamal, has reflected on his racial abuse incident, which occurred in the El Classico clash with Real Madrid.
Barcelona thumped Carlo Ancelotti’s side 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu, but the game was overshadowed by racist abuse aimed at several of the Blaugrana’s players, one of which was Lamine Yamal.
Speaking to DAZN in an interview, the 17-year-old stated that he has tried not to pay too much attention to the incident.
“I think that if we had lost, maybe I would have thought: ‘Why do they tell me this or that?’ But in the end, it’s about enjoying life. When someone insults you, maybe they were raised that way or didn’t receive the right values. That’s why I think you shouldn’t pay attention to it and move on.”
Lamine Yamal, who was decisive for Barcelona in their 3-1 victory over Benfica in the Champions League round of 16 on Tuesday, reflected on his own childhood during the interview, and he spoke with pride about how he was raised.
“I always tell my mother that I am very grateful to her because, despite how difficult things were for her, she made sure that I did not see anything wrong. So maybe I didn’t have the best childhood in the world, but she made it seem like I did, so I could only see the good and enjoy it.”
Racism in Spanish football has become a major problem over the last few years.
