FC Barcelona has extended the contract of its young player of Moroccan origin, Lamine Yamal, until 2026, as announced by the Catalan club on Monday. The buyout clause in the contract for the 16-year-old is set at one billion euros.
The club stated that the young winger, who has chosen to represent the Spanish national team internationally instead of Morocco, where his father's roots lie, signed the new contract in the presence of club president Joan Laporta, first vice-president Rafa Yusti, the director responsible for youth football at the club, Joan Soler, and sporting director Deco.
The agreement ensures Yamal's continued presence at Barcelona, where he has been since the age of seven when he joined from CE La Torreta. Barcelona considers Yamal "one of the most important players to have emerged from the club's La Masia academy in recent years." He became the youngest player to ever appear in a competitive match for the Catalan team at only 15 years, 9 months, and 16 days old during a match against Real Betis on April 29, 2023.
The statement also noted that Yamal made history as the youngest player to start a game for Barcelona during a match against Cádiz this season, in addition to marking his name in the Champions League as the second youngest player to compete in the continental tournament against Royal Antwerp from Belgium.
Additionally, the statement mentioned that despite his young age, Yamal has been called up for his first international match with Spain. In the match against Georgia, he not only became the youngest player to play for the Spanish national team but also the youngest to score a goal for Spain ever.
