To understand the meaning of chosen one it is not enough to look behind the photo. We must go behind the lens, rewind the invisible thread that has crossed three countries and two continents. The photo is the one of Messi giving a bath to a baby in swaddling clothes. That baby is named Lamine Yamal: «There was a 1 in 12 chance that he would end up in Messi’s hands», says Rafa Rodríguez, president of Yamal’s first team as a child. «Before that photo came back to the forefront I had already seen it. Lamine’s dad at the time showed off having a photo of his son with Messi. He had it saved in his cell phone». The chances of Sheila Ebana’s phone ringing, however, were infinitesimal. On one end of the receiver the Barcelona foundation, on the other a new mother from Equatorial Guinea residing in Esplugues de Llobregat. Arriving in Catalonia with her boyfriend Mounir, a belly full of hope and a suitcase swollen with fatigue and solidarity. That newborn is the product of all this. His very name says it: Lamine Yamal. Influencer stunts or revelations from books for new parents have nothing to do with it. Lamine and Yamal are two people who helped a lost family find a place on earth. The same earth that trembled, shaken by the ringing of the phone: «It was a charity calendar and there were male and female players from all sports: field hockey, volleyball, basketball, handball. Lamine got the football player. Lamine got Messi», recalls Rafa in ecstasy.
The photo remains buried in the gallery in Mounir’s phone between selfies and landscapes. Meanwhile, Mounir and Sheila have left Esplugues de Llobregat and joined his dad’s family in Mataró, 40 km from Barcelona. Pardon: Rocafonda, where we went to make the minidoc by Prime Video that you find a few lines further down. In some cases, the distinction is a must. Just like for the favelas in Brazil, the Argentine barrios and the Parisian banlieues, a name or a code is enough to define who you are. «There is too much distance between Rocafonda and the city. This neighborhood is segregated: there are kids who have never seen the seafront», says Maria, a convinced Catalan and early Rocafonda resident. «I am happy to live here. I love the diversity, I love seeing the energy of these kids. In Rocafonda there are 3000 children between three and 15 years old». Here they are. On the pista de futbal the National teams of Paraguay, Morocco, Spain, Argentina, and Guinea take turns. A Mundialito callejera version. On the north wall the now famous Rocafonda writing has the flavor of a decayed seaside resort. An old Atlantic City.
Lamine Yamal, 304
«Lamine spent his days here. He was capable of going down at 4 PM and coming home after 5 hours». The court is a greenhouse where children celebrate with the 304 and dads go to cultivate the miracle of the new Lamine. «The 304 gesture is an unexpected gift. It has helped to clean up people’s prejudices. Now if you say 304 they immediately change expression, but in a positive way. Lamine is not the solution to all evils. He represents hope, he represents the many “Lamines” who can make it, with the help of the institutions and the love of the people».
Between the court and Plaça Joan XXIII there are only 200 meters. Lamine would sprint from grandma Fatima’s front door with the ball under his arm. He dribbled past the fruit and vegetable shops imported strictly from Morocco, greeted the boys at Bazar Paloma, darted among the women in hijabs and made a technical stop at uncle Abdul’s Arab bakery. Today Abdul’s bakery is no longer there. He too has upgraded. Today he manages the Bar familia LY304. The first mausoleum dedicated to his nephew. Blaugrana palettes, 360° photos of Lamine and autographed shirts in plain sight. The one from the goal in the semi-final against France is in his private collection.
Sheila, Rocio
Dad Mounir’s older brother was one of the first sons who joined Fatima in Mataró. «There are women who have immense power. Fatima (Lamine’s grandmother, ed.) arrived in the eighties. Alone! In an era where emancipation was a plague, especially for a woman coming from Morocco without a husband in tow. She did a thousand jobs to earn a living and give a future to her children. They lived eight or nine in the same house and Lamine was the only child of a large family. Fatima was fundamental for the education and growth of the child in a delicate moment».
Because at this point in the story Lamine’s mom receives a promotion and is transferred from the McDonald’s in Mataró to the one in Granollers. An endless emigration. They all leave together. Sheila introduces herself to everyone as Rocio: «She decided it», says Sandra, her former colleague «She was in the kitchen. She was a hard worker. Things at home weren’t going well, but she put on her best smile and didn’t let despair get to her». She inside the kitchens of a fast food restaurant, he in a painter’s overalls. Mounir is homesick for the barrio. The ghorba, as they say where he’s from. «It wasn’t easy for Rocio. Especially with the child. I told her that my dad was a manager of a football team. She could talk to him and try to leave him in the afternoon». Sandra didn’t know she was writing a prophecy. «Mounir and Rocio came together. They wanted to do a trial. The first test is to leave these three/four-year-old children free to enter the pitch. Out of 11 who enter, 11 go out the same door. Lamine stayed on the pitch», says Inocente Diez, aka “Kubala”, at the time a manager at La Torretta. Love goes, football remains. «He was the smallest of all and did extraordinary things. As a punishment we left him on the bench because he never passed the ball. He enjoyed dribbling past opponents and scoring like an animal», Kubala continues. Few have a memory of that little martian, but no one thought that synthetic pitch could become a phenomenon of study for the Blaugrana Area 51.
«It’s not a miracle. We didn’t discover Lamine, he discovered us. He would have arrived where he is anyway by continuing to play in the street», concludes Kubala. «At work we used to joke with his mother: he plays football so well that he will take you away from here», recalls Sandra. Rocio didn’t go too far. Far enough not to have to live with the smell of french fries and the smoke of the grill anymore. Today her life is named Keyne, Lamine’s little brother had with a new partner. Dad Mounir now lives in Barcelona. Close to his son. Not under the same roof. «Rocio was only Lamine, Lamine and Lamine», and at the third Lamine Kubala’s eyes turn into watercolors. «It was really hard for her: a small child, a separation… For her there were no dinners out, dancing, evenings or trips. There was only work and Lamine». Another woman with extraordinary power. Grandma Fatima in Rocafonda, mom Sheila everywhere. «She would get in line to buy chips for the child. Every day. She had a special aura, one of those people who stick in your mind», says Marc, owner of the Churreria La Sorpresa, in the historic center of Granollers. The counter of delicacies protrudes under an amusement park sign. Opposite an anonymous wall. Yet, Lamine turned his back on all that bounty «He never separated from the ball. His mom in line waiting, while he played against the wall». Only in fairy tales the place where the child devours greasy and low-calorie foods can be called La Sorpresa. No one in La Roca del Valles had guessed that the surprise was of that caliber. It was the tired and sly nose of an old fox that bumped into it.
The minidoc produced by Prime Video
Barcelona
«Isidre Gil (historic local scout, ed.) passed by here. Courtesy visit. He asked us if we had a player who was worth it. We presented Lamine. He was seven years old», recalls the former president of La Torretta. «We had a request from Espanyol on the table which, on an economic level, was more advantageous for us. The decision fell on Barcelona because it was Lamine who wanted it. He looked at his mother and said: Barcelona», Rafa swears. «I saw it with my own eyes». It was the same word that seven years earlier Messi whispered in his ear during the shoot. The power of the subconscious. «We organized a trial to see him together with other older boys. He was in Morocco with his father. We waited for him. The managers of La Torretta advised the family: place, time and material to bring. They arrived on time but Lamine forgot his boots at home. Barcelona lent him some boots for his first trial». These words belong to Albert Puig, director of La Masia between 2010 and 2014. «Usually the boys who live in Catalonia enter La Masia at 14/15 years old. For Lamine, given the precarious family situation, we anticipated his entry». Barça wanted to reduce the risk of him getting “lost on the way”.
Which is what happened on the first day of training. «The club’s taxi driver showed up in Rocafonda and couldn’t find him. He was always outside with the ball and we didn’t know where he ended up», says Puig. He reels off the names of the talents he has seen grow up as if it were a nursery rhyme of tropical islands. Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Javi Simmons, Iñaki Peña, Héctor Fort. But his island is named Messi: «He was the most consistent player in history», concludes Puig. «I say Messi so everyone can have a unit of measurement. You can’t even dare a comparison between Lionel and Lamine. Today it’s like talking about different planets. Lamine has shown that he has the ability and the competitive spirit to play at the highest level, now we have to understand his progression. Will he get better and better? He is very young and has many obstacles to overcome. The biggest ones are inside him. If he manages to do it then in ten years we can understand what place he will have in history». The chair is empty. On the table there is a plaque engraved with “Reserved”. They have been waiting for him since July 13 of 17 years ago.