How family friends inspired Lamine Yamal's Arabic name

Dubai: Lamine Yamal is about to play in one of the biggest games of his career when Spain meets France in Dallas on Tuesday in the World Cup semi-final.  

The teenager celebrated his 19^th birthday on Monday and a place in the final of football’s most prestigious tournament would be the perfect gift.

Among those watching the match around the world could be two people who played a significant role in the Barcelona star's life story, even if the full extent of their involvement remains largely unknown to the public.

While "Lamine Yamal" is the name on the back of his Barcelona and Spain shirts, many fans may not realise that it is actually his given name rather than his surname.

Like most people in Spain, the teenage winger has two family names, one inherited from each parent. Those are Nasraoui, from his father, and Ebana, from his mother, making his full legal name Lamine Yamal Nasraoui Ebana.

Instead of using either of his surnames professionally, the Barcelona star is known by his two-part given name, Lamine Yamal, which is why it appears on the back of his shirts for both club and country.

The Arabic influence on his name reflects his family's heritage. Yamal, who is a practising Muslim through his father's Moroccan background, has a two-part given name with roots in the Arabic language.

Lamine is a common Arabic name derived from Al-Amin, meaning "honest" or "trustworthy".

Al-Amin was also an honorary title given to the Prophet Muhammad, reflecting his reputation for integrity.

Yamal, meanwhile, is a variation of the Arabic name Jamal, which translates to "beauty", "grace" or "charm".

What makes the story behind his name even more interesting is that it was inspired not by family tradition, but by an act of kindness.

According to reports in the Spanish media, Yamal's parents were teenagers when he was born, with his mother, Sheila Ebana, just 16 years old.

As they adjusted to becoming young parents, they received valuable support from two close family friends during a difficult period.

To show their gratitude, they named their son after those two men. One was called Lamine and the other Yamal, giving rise to the name that has since become known around the footballing world: Lamine Yamal.

While the two men who inspired his name have never been publicly identified, Yamal has certainly made his own name known on the pitch.

The Spain forward has faced France twice in his career, winning on both occasions and scoring three goals across those matches, with Tuesday night's game set to be a cracker.