Can Lamine Yamal handle the heat of stardom?
Jul 18, 2025•18 min
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Episode description
Teenage sensation Lamine Yamal has been flagged as football's next superstar.
At just 18-years-old, he has already helped Barcelona FC to success in the Spanish league LaLiga and played a pivotal role in his home nation's triumph at Euro 2024. He's also been awarded the No.10 jersey, previously worn by none-other-than Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho.
But the early success has come at the cost of extreme scrutiny. Yamal's lavish 18th birthday celebrations were overshadowed by the threat of legal action from a disability activist group after a group of people with dwarfism were hired to entertain guests.
Semra Hunter has been covering Spanish football for over 15 years, and joins host Niall Paterson to talk about Yamal's stellar career so far. Plus, expert in sport psychology Professor Andrew Lane discusses the impact of sports stardom on a person so young.
Producer: Emma Rae Woodhouse
Editor: Soila Apparicio
At just 18-years-old, he has already helped Barcelona FC to success in the Spanish league LaLiga and played a pivotal role in his home nation's triumph at Euro 2024. He's also been awarded the No.10 jersey, previously worn by none-other-than Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho.
But the early success has come at the cost of extreme scrutiny. Yamal's lavish 18th birthday celebrations were overshadowed by the threat of legal action from a disability activist group after a group of people with dwarfism were hired to entertain guests.
Semra Hunter has been covering Spanish football for over 15 years, and joins host Niall Paterson to talk about Yamal's stellar career so far. Plus, expert in sport psychology Professor Andrew Lane discusses the impact of sports stardom on a person so young.
Producer: Emma Rae Woodhouse
Editor: Soila Apparicio
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