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Rabat – FC Barcelona’s new wonderkid Lamine Yamal, who is of Moroccan origins, will be playing for Spain in the upcoming U17 European Championship, has indicated the latest squad announcement on the Royal Spanish Football Federation’s (RFEF) website.
The call-up means that Yamal will not be playing any more games with Barca this season, after becoming the youngest player in the club’s history to make a La Liga debut.
The competition starts in Hungary on May 18, with Spain’s first match being against Italy, but the team will start their preparations for the tournament from May 8.
Despite playing for Spain’s youth teams, Yamal is not locked into playing for the European nation, as he can still switch to representing another nation as per FIFA guidelines.
Morocco’s football federation had been “closely following” the youngster’s development as he was playing in Barca’s U19 team, the Spanish outlet Sport reported last year.
According to Sport, Moroccan scout Rabie Takassa confirmed that the youngster was on his radar.
“His father is Moroccan, his mother is from Equatorial Guinea and he was born in Spain, so he can choose between three teams. In the end, he will play where he feels best, where his heart tells him,” Takassa said, making it clear that Yamal was a Spanish youth player and that he would not be forced to represent any country.
The 15 year-old made his debut for FC Barcelona during a La Liga game against Real Betis on April 29 this year, becoming the youngest debutant in the league in the club’s history.
Although he only spent 10 minutes on the pitch, the footballer’s performance caught the attention of many as he was close to getting a goal and an assist on his professional debut.
The Catalan club is reportedly aiming to sign the wonderkid on a professional contract as soon as he turns 16.
