Lamine Yamal (L) with his father Mounir Nasraoui© AFP
The father of teenage Spain and Barcelona star Lamine Yamal was stabbed and left in a serious but stable condition, Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia reported late Wednesday. Mounir Nasraoui was stabbed multiple times in a car park in Mataro after an argument with some men while he was walking his dog, who later came back to attack him, said the report, citing "official sources familiar with the incident". The Catalan regional police, in charge of the investigation, did not publicly confirm the incident or respond to AFP requests for information. Newspaper La Vanguardia said some arrests have already been made. The attack took place in the Rocafonda neighbourhood of Mataro, around 30 kilometres north of Barcelona, where Yamal grew up and where his father and grandmother still live.
The 17-year-old player celebrates goals by making a '304' gesture with his hands, referring to the postcode of the Catalan neighbourhood.
Making his Barcelona debut at 15, Yamal has risen into the elite at rapid speed and was key for Spain in their Euro 2024 triumph this summer.
Yamal is carrying the weight of expectations as Hansi Flick's Barcelona face the unenviable challenge of dethroning a fearsome Real Madrid side as Spanish champions this season.
The German coach replaced club legend Xavi Hernandez at the helm and welcomed new arrival Dani Olmo last week, but last season's La Liga winners Madrid signed superstar French striker Kylian Mbappe earlier this summer.
The forward joins Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham and other star names to ensure Barcelona begin the season as firm underdogs to Los Blancos.
The Catalan giants won nothing last season and surrendered their Spanish crown in a deeply disappointing campaign, but 17-year-old Yamal's emergence shows there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Along with Olympic gold medal-winning centre-back Pau Cubarsi, financially-hampered Barcelona will rely on their young stars to try and compete with the might of Carlo Ancelotti's Champions League winners.