Tell us about an overnight sensation better than Lamine Yamal! Playing at the highest level for a club like FC Barcelona and representing Spain at just 16, the teenage forward is living the perfect dream. While it’s the youngster’s hard work that has brought him this far, one can’t deny the age-old saying that behind every successful man, there is a woman’s hand. For Yamal, it has been his mother, Sheila Ebana. That said, let’s dive deeper to learn about the woman who raised her son so well and has even featured in a viral photo with none other than Lionel Messi.

Who is Lamine Yamal’s mother, Sheila Ebana?

Sheila Ebana originally hails from Equatorial Guinea but years ago, she migrated to Spain for better life opportunities. Unfortunately, there are no details available regarding her own parents or educational background, but it is known that she worked as a waitress. On the other hand, his father Mounir Nasraoui, is also a migrant from Morocco, and used to work as a building painter.

Interestingly, Mounir, aged 32, too played soccer but failure to make it professionally saw him in between jobs to earn daily bread. It is unknown how he met Ebana, but love blossomed and the couple married soon after. Completing the family, their superstar son was born on July 13, 2007. But unfortunately, their union didn’t last long, as Mounir and Sheila parted just three years later.

Yet, the two never failed as parents, and still maintain a close relationship with their son. Mounir, a proud father, even proclaimed, “I have faith that he could go all the way and be greater than Messi,” after adding, “You cannot imagine how proud I am of my son. I always knew that he would achieve what he has. I had total faith”, according to The Telegraph. Notably, the star player split his time staying between Granollers (situated 18 miles north-east of Barcelona), and Rocafonda, a densely populated residential area about 20 miles northeast of Barcelona along the coast, to spend time with his parents.

His mother, on the other hand, is Yamal’s greatest source of strength. As per Barca Universal, he revealed, “My mother is afraid for me when I start, but she supports me a lot.” Remarkably, to honor his heritage, flags of both Morocco and Equatorial Guinea are sewn into his customized boots while he dons the Spanish shirt.

In addition to Yamal, Sheila also has a younger son named Keyne and a daughter named Baraa Yamal. She may be a homemaker but the mother of the superstar has taught him the best values. Also, how can we forget Lamine’s smile that he got from his mother, evident from a picture with none other than Lionel Messi?

The story of Lamine Yamal and Sheila Ebana’s picture with Lionel Messi

Who would have thought that 16-year-old Lamine Yamal had a past connection with Lionel Messi? For those unaware, you must have come across an old picture of the Argentinian skipper bathing a small kid with women. Well, they are actually no one but Yamal and Sheila Ebana. Interestingly, these pictures came to light after his father, Mounir Nasraoui, shared them on Instagram. He also added a caption saying, “the beginning of two greats.” 

The snap dates back to September 2007, courtesy of photographer Joan Monfort. At that time he was working for The Associated Press as a freelance photographer. Monfort later shared the back story of the image. Apparently, it was a shoot for a calendar that was conducted by the Spanish newspaper Diario Sport and UNICEF as part of an annual charity drive.

Hence, Messi and his then-Barcelona teammates were asked to pose with children and their families. Coincidentally, Monfort got paired alongside then-20-year-old Messi and six-month-old Yamal for the photo shoot. It was conducted in the visitors’ locker room at Camp Nou. 

The photographer recalled that he faced many challenges during the photo shoot. “It was a difficult photo to take. We can say I sweated some blood to take it,” he told The Athletic. Messi’s shy nature also made him uncertain about how to interact with the young Yamal.

“(Lionel) Messi is still shy now; he was much more shy when he was starting out and he finds himself there with a tiny baby in a plastic bath full of water. And with his mother. At the start, there was not much interaction. It was difficult for all of them. But, bit by bit, it started to happen and in the end, it’s a pretty good photo,” he said. If there’s anything called destiny, this must be it. At the time, Messi was just starting out at FC Barcelona after winning two La Liga titles and a Championships League, and to hold the club’s future superstar is nothing short of an iconic memory!

“It’s something incredible. Back then, nobody could imagine that this baby would be who he is now — and you could not have known that Messi would become who he became, either,” he further said. Interestingly, Monfort realized Yamal was in the pictures 17 years later, when a friend informed him they had gone viral since the forward starred for Spain.

Now, that’s an incredible surprise, wouldn’t you agree?