Lamine Yamal isn’t the only member of his family captivating audiences around the world.
The 19-year-old Spanish forward’s three-year-old half-brother Keyne has been a breakout star of the World Cup and went viral again on Sunday with his post-game celebration following the 1-0 victory over Argentina in the final.
Dressed in a replica Spain jersey with his brother’s No. 19 and his own first name emblazoned on the back, Keyne darted onto the pitch at MetLife Stadium, where he then ran straight into his older brother’s arms.
Yamal was all too happy to accept a hug from Keyne and quickly lifted his younger brother into the air before gently placing him back down on the field and putting a red ‘Lamine’ baseball hat on the toddler’s head.
And that wasn’t the only hat Keyne tried on while roaming around the MetLife pitch on Sunday. A New Jersey State Trooper couldn’t help but remove his cap to briefly share with Keyne, who tried it on before politely returning it to the officer.
For Keyne, it was one of the final moments of a memorable World Cup run that included several appearances on stadium scoreboards, not to mention dozens of wire photos that were picked up by news outlets around the world. Keyne even managed to score a goal on his brother’s teammate, Nico Williams, during some pre-game warmups.
Lamine Yamal celebrates with his brother Keyne after winning the 2026 World Cup
Keyne was all smiles when he finally caught up to his big brother, Yamal, after Sunday’s win
Keyne, 3, gestures on the field at MetLife Stadium after seeing his brother win Sunday’s final
Lamine Yamal puts the World Cup trophy into his younger brother Keyne’s arms on Sunday
Keyne is seen dancing near a giant replica of the World Cup trophy on Sunday
Yamal and his brother Keyne bump fists alongside the World Cup trophy on Sunday
‘This time around, the biggest sensation of the competition isn’t an athlete, the goals, or even the trophy itself,’ was how Hola! – Spain’s version of Hello! magazine – put it earlier this month. ‘It’s Keyne, Lamine Yamal’s three-year-old brother, who’s taking the tournament by storm with his hilarious moments.’
Standing just a few feet tall, Keyne has rapidly become an internet sensation. The toddler has melted hearts throughout Spain’s run, endearing himself to supporters across the world.
Elsewhere in the media, he has been dubbed ‘the star of the 2026 World Cup,’ ‘Spain’s superstar in the stands’ and ‘the most beloved personality of the tournament’.
Keyne’s popularity reached fever pitch after Spain’s quarter-final victory over Belgium, when television cameras cut to the three-year-old waving and smiling at his brother from the stands.
Lamine Yamal and his mother Sheila Ebana attempt to hand the trophy to young Keyne
At just 3, Keyne appears to already have one World Cup victory under his belt
Keyne was given a piece of the goal’s net, which he used to entertain a state trooper
A New Jersey state trooper couldn’t help but share his hat with Keyne, who tried it on
Keyne was a man of many hats on Sunday, including this offering from a state trooper
Yamal dropped a new baseball hat on his brother’s head after Sunday’s victory
Down on the pitch, Yamal burst into laughter after spotting Keyne sticking out his tongue on the stadium’s giant screens. Images of the youngster’s antics were soon circulating across social media.
Speaking to journalists after the match, Yamal revealed his brother had warned him about his plans the day before, making the moment even funnier.
‘I was at physio and he called me, using my mum’s phone, and told me that he was going to stick his tongue out tomorrow,’ the right-winger explained. ‘So that’s why when I saw him on the screen, it really made me laugh.’
Born in September 2022, Keyne is the son of Yamal’s mother, Sheila Ebana. Although the pair do not share the same father, the Barcelona star spoke glowingly about their bond after being named player of the match in Spain’s round-of-32 victory last Thursday.
‘I’m moved when I see my little brother this happy, as well as seeing my mum and friends living the life they always dreamed of,’ he said.
‘My little brother means everything to me. I am in love with him; it feels like he is my son.’
Keyne wasn’t happy to just watch Sunday’s World Cup final, and instead got some practice in
Keyne impresses onlookers at MetLife Stadium with some fancy footwork
For those who have followed Yamal’s rise closely, Keyne’s presence is nothing new. The footballer regularly shares videos of them doing TikTok dances together, while clips of the pair playing with a football on the pitch during Barcelona’s La Liga title celebrations last season also went viral.
There is footage of Keyne singing the Barcelona anthem at home and cheering his brother’s name. He has been filmed joking around with Barca’s giant mascot, Cat, and spending time with Yamal’s close friend and Spain team-mate Nico Williams after a La Liga match between Barcelona and Athletic Club. Yamal also recently shared a video of him and his mum walking down the street together, behind Keyne driving a Mercedes electric kids car.
When Yamal gave a tour of his former Barcelona flat at the end of last year, he proudly showed viewers a small statuette depicting him squatting and said it was Keyne’s ‘favourite thing in my house’. The figure references the traditional Catalan caganer – typically hidden within Nativity scenes and portrayed relieving itself outside the stable – and Keyne appears especially delighted that his older brother has his own version.
Keyne took a quick breather during Sunday’s festivities before getting his second wind
Keyne is joined by another Spanish supporter on Sunday in East Rutherford, New jersey
Yamal, who brought Keyne with him to the Ballon d’Or ceremony, has previously spoken about wanting to give his younger brother the childhood he never had. The winger has made his famous ‘304’ celebration – a reference to the postcode of Rocafonda, one of Catalonia’s most deprived neighborhoods where he grew up – a symbol of his identity and a nod to his roots.
‘My mom had me when she was 16 – now that’s real pressure,’ he told Spanish broadcaster Cadena SER. ‘Then my dad had to go out and make a living, scavenging on the streets to bring food home. That’s pressure. All I have to do is play and keep the Spanish fans happy.’
‘I came from an apartment where the kitchen and bedroom were in the same place,’ he said on a podcast last year. ‘So I see my mother happy, I see that my brother can have the kind of childhood I would have wanted, and that’s what makes me happiest.’
Keyne is also a familiar face on his mother’s Instagram profile, appearing in sponsored posts, including a recent promotion for a sushi restaurant in Premià de Mar, a coastal town near Barcelona.
‘Sunday, sushi and good company,’ she wrote on Instagram.
Keyne and Yamal are pictured with their mother Sheila Ebana after Spain’s Euros win in 2024
This photo taken in 2007 shows a 20-year-old Lionel Messi helping to bathe Lamine Yamal, who was merely six months old at the time. Yamal’s mother Sheila Ebana is also pictured
Ebana’s eldest son also has some memorable photos from his youth, including one famously taken alongside then-Barcelona star Lionel Messi in 2007.
Yamal’s parents, including his Morocco-born father Mounir Nasraoui, entered a raffle run by Catalan newspaper Sport with winners getting photos taken of their baby with a Barcelona player.
Yamal’s family famously won and was paired with Messi.
In the shoot, Messi bathed the five-month-old Yamal and then held him, wrapped in a towel.
That picture, it was crazy,’ Messi said Friday. ‘Him as a baby, and now we are facing each other. What a crazy picture.’
Who knows, if the 39-year-old Messi can hang on a bit longer, perhaps he can face off with the family’s other viral star, Keyne, someday.
