Why Lamine Yamal is already among the world’s most bankable footballers | OneFootball

Lamine Yamal turned 19 on Monday and is already among football’s biggest off-field earners. According to Forbes, over the past 12 months he trailed only the very top names, despite a Barcelona wage outside La Liga’s top five.

His face is everywhere, from a giant Signia hotel facade opposite Atlanta’s stadium to Times Square screens and TV spots with past and present icons. Shirt sales and the roar at his name show the scale of his appeal.

The pull lies in rare ingredients. He debuted at 16, and by 18 had won the Euros and two Ligas, finished second in the Ballon d’Or and plays for one of sport’s great institutions. An immigrant roots, La Masia path and bold charisma connect with young fans.

Timing helped too. With Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi no longer fronting Spain’s marketing, and Barcelona unable to import megastars, he seized the spotlight. The club presented him as the new Messi, sporting and symbolic.

Brands have piled in. Adidas, Beats, Powerade, Konami, American Eagle and Oppo are already on board, and he is among the biggest shirt sellers worldwide. Each trophy tends to lift his value, so long as results and image hold up.

There was a blip around his birthday last summer, after which he hired staff and his image has tightened in the last six or seven months. Could he become Spain’s biggest sporting star? If he keeps winning for Barça and Spain, his reach could approach Messi’s.

Source: L'Équipe