Lamine Yamal reflects on schooling amid World Cup triumph at 19 | OneFootball

Lamine Yamal is now a world champion at 19 after Sunday’s win over Argentina, and he has reflected on the classroom choices that accompanied his rise.

According to El Periódico Mediterráneo, the La Masía graduate broke through remarkably early, debuting for Barcelona’s first team at 16 while focusing almost entirely on football.

He grew up in Rocafonda, a working-class neighbourhood in Mataró, and attended Escola Pereanton for primary school, known for its music project where he learnt the trombone during lessons.

He later completed compulsory secondary education remotely via La Masía’s education centre with specialist tutors for elite athletes. In 2025 he said he chose to leave school to concentrate on his career, telling his mother he would attend but do no work as he prepared for afternoon training, a stance she initially challenged before supporting his dream.

During Euro 2024 he said he carried notes to finish ESO exams. He added he would have liked a degree but did not feel cut out for it, and had no regrets, viewing those experiences as formative.

He also set out a plan to take the next two years of Bachillerato in the Humanities track, focused on Latin and Greek.

To balance study with football, he enrolled at a Barcelona centre offering a programme tailored to high-performance athletes. Most of his learning is online and he attends in person only for specific meetings or academic interviews.

Away from sport and study, he fulfilled a personal goal by buying homes for his parents, for his mother in the Maresme area and for his father in Barcelona’s upper neighbourhoods.

Source: El Periódico Mediterráneo

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