Lamine Yamal has broken his silence on the controversy that followed in the wake of his 18th birthday this summer – after the Barcelona starlet was accused of exploiting people with dwarfism and ‘hiring’ women based on their measurements.
The teenager is one of the most talented footballers in the European game but over the summer, Yamal made headlines for his exploits away from the pitch.
The forward celebrated his birthday in July with around 200 people attending the event, including friends, family and team-mates.
Reports later emerged that people with Achondroplasia had been hired to work as waiters at the birthday party, leading to condemnation from activist groups and the General Director of Disability Jesus Martin in the Spanish government.
Claims were also made by a model named Claudia Calvo that Yamal paid for 12 women with a ‘certain breast size’ to attend the ‘Mafia’ themed bash.
But after weathering the storm of public opinion, Yamal stayed quiet over the party – choosing to break his silence nearly two months later.
Lamine Yamal has broken his silence on the controversy that unfolded after his 18th birthday
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Reports in Spain appeared to show hired waiters with dwarfism and scantily-clad women arriving for the party
Yamal has since found love with his new girlfriend – Argentine rapper Nicki Nicole, 25
Speaking to Spanish programme Resonancia de Corazon, Yamal admitted that he found the controversy more amusing than concerning.
‘I wasn’t mad,’ the 18-year-old said. ‘I found it funny.
‘They tried to smear it in many ways. A woman said I chose the girls one way or another, and it was all a lie.
‘Then there was the thing about the waiters, who were working there.’
The Association of People with Achondroplasia and Other Skeletal Dysplasias with Dwarfism (ADEE) threatened to take legal action over the hiring of the waiters, while Martin called for ministers to approve an investigation into doing so.
Martin told Marca: ‘We are concerned that people with money, people with power, believe themselves to be unpunished. The law is for everyone, for the humble and for the powerful.’ Martin also expressed his fear that this kind of party could impact impressionable young fans who look up to Yamal and copy his behaviour.’
Spanish model, Calvo, who was Miss Teenager Spain 2021 and Miss Teenager Europe 2022, claimed she was asked to attend the event, describing how women would have been paid up to 20,000 euros for 24-hour availability on the day.
The Barcelona star invited 200 friends and family to celebrate at his ‘Mafia’ themed party
Claudia Calvo alleged that she had been approached to attend the party for up to 20,000 euros
Calvo claimed she had backed out of the event after receiving the list of demands.
‘I have screenshots of everything, the conversations, they told me that the fee would be a certain amount between 10,000 and 20,000 euros,’ Calvo told Tardear TV.
‘But the truth is that you don’t really know what you’re getting into, because they don’t tell you what they really expect from you beyond “having a good time” at the party.
‘They asked for blonde girls with a certain breast size,’ Calvo claimed, adding organisers were looking for ‘models or escorts’.
Yamal has since returned to the pitch, scoring twice in Barcelona’s three opening LaLiga matches.
During the international break, the teen star provided a further three assists in Spain’s World Cup qualifying clashes with Bulgaria and Turkey.
The La Masia graduate has also gone public with his new girlfriend, 25-year-old Argentine rapper Nicki Nicole – who also attended his birthday party.
Yamal confirmed his relationship with Nicole in mid-August while celebrating her birthday
Nico Williams shared a picture of the starlet’s screensaver, confirming the relationship was still on after reports of a break-up
Yamal and Nicole confirmed their relationship in mid-August while celebrating her birthday, and although reports in Spain claimed they had broken up a mere 13 days after than, a playful video filmed by Yamal’s Spain team-mate Nico Williams asserted that they were still together.
Williams filmed the teenager smiling while showing off Nicole on his phone screensaver.
Williams shared the clip with the teasing caption ‘Mi filho está in love,’ which translates as ‘My boy is in love.’
Nicole opened up on the relationship on Thursday while attending a fashion show, admitting she is ‘very much in love’ with Barcelona’s teenage sensation.
