Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal says he has experienced racism “a thousand times” and believes many people make racist comments or behave in discriminatory ways without realising it.
The 19-year-old made the comments during an interview with former Argentina international Jorge Valdano for Spanish broadcaster Movistar, as reported by BBC Sport.
Asked whether he had personally experienced racism, Yamal replied: “A thousand times.”
“People are indirectly racist towards you, but maybe don’t realise it. There are a lot of comments or looks that are racist and they don’t even notice,” he said.
Yamal has faced racist abuse during his rapid rise with Barcelona and Spain. In October 2024, footage appeared to show the teenager, Raphinha and Ansu Fati being subjected to racist abuse during Barcelona’s El Clásico against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Yamal said he distinguishes between someone referring to his race and using his race as a means of insulting him.
“If someone calls me Black, it’s not going to bother me at all. Ultimately, I’m Black, I’m not any other colour,” he said. “Another thing is whether it’s good or bad, whether they’re saying it to offend me.”
He also explained that he tries not to let abuse from supporters affect his performances on the pitch.
“But if I’m playing a match and they paid for a ticket to see me, I’m not going to get angry just because they disrespected me,” Yamal said.
According to Spain’s Observatory on Racism and Xenophobia, Yamal and Real Madrid forward Vinícius Jr were among the footballers most frequently targeted by online racist abuse in Spain during the final quarter of 2025.
The Spanish government agency has also reported detecting racist and Islamophobic content targeting Yamal during the 2026 World Cup period.
