The soccer world’s favorite storyline these days is that Lamine Yamal can celebrate his 17th birthday this Saturday and he could win the UEFA Euro title the next day. Notably, in Spain’s semi-final win against France, Yamal scored an out-of-the-box curler and became the UEFA Euro’s youngest goalscorer. Even the legendary Pele was 17 when he scored his first goal at a major international tournament. While the Barcelona star is getting all the attention for performing at this level at this young age, rumors previously said he forged his age. The rumor mill has it that Yamal will be 19 years old right now!

What is the truth behind this rumor? Is Yamal really past 20 years of age? We have you covered. Let’s also delve deeper into how the Barcelona prodigy responded to the allegations of age forgery.

Is Lamine Yamal awaiting his 17th birthday or his 19th?

In March, a social media post showed that Lamine Yamal was 10 years old in 2015 when he was a part of Barcelona’s youth academy-La Masia, according to Fanzword. If Yamal was 10 in 2015, he should be 19 in two days, not 17. However, shortly after this rumor picked pace in March, fans investigated the matter and uncovered the truth. As per certain sources, the post which showed a 10-year-old Yamal in the Barcelona academy came in December 2017. If Yamal turned 10 in 2017, he would only turn 17 this year. That is one way to deem the previous rumor of the Spaniard’s age forgery baseless.

Secondly, the most reliable bios on the Spanish prodigy show he started at Barcelona’s youth project when he was seven years old in 2015. Again, if he turned seven in 2015, he would only be entering his 17th year now.

Meanwhile, Lamine Yamal broke his silence on the age forgery allegations with a subtle dig into the false rumors. Responding to a social media post that said he was not 16, Yamal wrote, “I am 16. Or not. I am 30.” If the Spaniard really forged his age and was risking a re-evaluation, why would he confidently crack such a joke?

Furthermore, let’s delve deeper into an infant Yamal’s photoshoot with a teenage Lionel Messi that became the internet’s favorite topic lately, and trace Yamal’s age.

What does baby Yamal’s photoshoot with Messi tell us about his age?

Back in the day, Barcelona players did photoshoots with children from various families in the neighborhood for a charity calendar organized by the Spanish newspaper Diario and UNICEF. Lamine Yamal’s family had the chance to cross paths with Lionel Messi and click those famous pictures. Reports from various sources and statements from Yamal’s parents confirmed he posed with Messi as a baby in 2007. If Yamal the baby took the picture in 2007, he would only be 20 in 2027.

Moreover, Leo Messi, at that time, was 20 years old. He is currently 37. If this gap of 17 years doesn’t say Yamal is in his 17th year right now, we don’t know what else will. Hence rumors of an age forgery remain rumors and Yamal has the record of being the Euro’s youngest goal scorer.

Now, he’s a couple of days away from perhaps becoming the youngest player to win the UEFA Euro.