Before the Final: Rocafonda Prodigy Receives Support from the Neighborhood
Residents of a multi-ethnic working-class neighborhood on the outskirts of Barcelona feel pride and honor after one of their own reached the 2026 World Cup final, between the Spanish national football team, with its talented star Lamine Yamal, a son of their neighborhood, and the defending champion Argentina, led by living legend Lionel Messi. Kepa, an 18-year-old Senegalese youth, said: 'Now that the two are about to face off, it's unbelievable,' referring to Yamal, the Barcelona forward, and his admiration for Messi. Messi, 39, spent the best years of his career at Barcelona, after graduating from the club’s youth academy, and a widely circulated photo showing the Argentine with a baby Yamal, now 19, has captured the public's imagination ahead of the World Cup final on Sunday in New Jersey.
While children from immigrant families played on a pitch behind a mural depicting Yamal’s face in the Rocafonda neighborhood in the coastal city of Mataró, his grandmother Fatima Nasrawi and his 15-year-old relative Ryan watched from a nearby bench. The grandmother expressed her desire for Spain to win, saying she would shout loudly if the talented star managed to score in the much-anticipated final. His relative Ryan noted the close bond between him and Yamal, adding: 'For me, Yamal means many good things, but above all he is like a brother because we grew up together.' Yamal, who was born in Spain to a Moroccan father and a mother from Equatorial Guinea, never forgot his roots. Throughout his career, he has taken pride in the Rocafonda neighborhood with his signature hand gesture '304' after scoring goals, referencing the neighborhood's postal code. During the 2026 World Cup, Yamal wore a headband inscribed with 'Rocafonda' and placed the flags of his parents' home countries on his boots, affirming that football is an example of ethnic and social integration.
Original source: Arriyadiyah
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