World Cup final Lamine Yamal: What to know about teenage Spain prodigy

World Cup final Lamine Yamal: What to know about teenage Spain prodigyOne of the best players in world football, Spain’s 19-year-old Lamine Yamal is gearing up for his first World Cup final.On Monday, a day before Spain faced France in the World Cup semifinal, a cheerful Lamine Yamal – decked in glittering chunky necklaces – faced the media.The eve of the high-stakes knockout game coincidentally also marked the football prodigy’s 19th birthday, and unsurprisingly, came the most obvious question: “What would be your ideal birthday gift, Lamine?”Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4‘Football is for everyone’: Djed Spence and the Three Lions’ Muslim momentlist 2 of 4World Cup semifinal: Key players to watch in England vs Argentina clashlist 3 of 4‘We have not peaked yet’, says Tuchel before England-Argentina semifinallist 4 of 4England and Argentina set for their first meeting in a World Cup semifinalend of list“I haven’t received many gifts yet. The best gift would be a win on Tuesday and a trip to New York,” he said.In the sweltering heat of Atlanta and after 90 minutes of a masterclass in control, Spain downed France, fulfilling Yamal’s birthday wish of reaching the World Cup final.As Yamal prepares for his second major final, here’s everything to know about his personal background and promising career:Multicultural rootsBorn in the Esplugues de Llobregat municipality in Barcelona, Spain, Yamal is of Moroccan descent via his father, Mounir Nasraoui, and Equatoguinean descent through his mother, Sheila Ebana.Officially called “Lamine Yamal Nasraoui Ebana”, the teenager simply goes by “Lamine Yamal”, his compound first name, when playing for Spain or his club, Barcelona.It is common for Spanish players to use just their first name; for example, Yamal’s Spain teammate, Pedri, or greats of the past, Xavi and Iniesta.The story behind Yamal’s name“Lamine” is a common name in West African culture with Arabic links. It roughly translates to faithful or trustworthy in Arabic, while Yamal is a variant of the widely used Arabic name Jamal, which can be translated as beauty, grace or charm.