LAMINE Yamal has signed a contract extension with FC Barcelona, the club announced Tuesday, in a deal which keeps the 17-year-old superstar with the Blaugrana until the end of the 2030-31 season.
News of the contract extension comes after Yamal exclusively told CNN Sports’ Amanda Davies at the Globe Soccer Awards in December 2024 that “Barça is the club of my life,” adding: “I want to play in the Spanish league. I want to play for Barça, and yes, I will renew my contract. I will.”
Details of the deal – which was signed at the club’s offices in front of president Joan Laporta and sporting director Deco – were not provided by Barça, but multiple reports from Spanish media say that the precocious teenager is set to become one of the highest earners in the squad with a potential annual salary of roughly 19 million euros (about $21.5 million) after taxes.
Yamal’s father, Mounir Nasraoui, seemed to hint at those figures in his Instagram Stories, linking to a post celebrating his son’s contract extension with the number “19.3” written above it.
Yamal first burst onto the scene last season in Spain’s La Liga, where he broke multiple records, but stormed into the spotlight at last year’s European Championships, setting numerous new landmarks on the way to helping lead La Roja to its fourth Euros victory.
Yamal then received further global recognition this season, in particular for his masterful performance against Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League semifinals, which – despite his play that had people saying he was the best player in the world – saw Barça get eliminated in an all-time classic knockout tie.
In a reminder of how young Yamal is right now and a potential nightmare for opponents, the new deal is set to keep one of soccer’s best young players at the Catalan club until he turns 23 years old, when many players begin entering their prime.
After winning a domestic double this season with the Blaugrana, the future seems bright for both the Catalan giant and Yamal, but as he told CNN’s Davies in December, he isn’t getting too ahead of himself.
“It’s true that things have happened very quickly,” Yamal said. “I don’t think this is normal for a teenager. I think it’s nice being the first teenager to be doing these things.
“In the end, I only think of the future. I only think of the good things that happen and that’s it. As my mother says, ‘Always enjoy the moment because everything goes by so quickly.’”
CNN
