Lamine Yamal, the teenage sensation of Spain National Football Team, has made it to the much-anticipated 2026 FIFA World Cup final. His country’s team will play Argentina and Lionel Messi this Sunday at New York New Jersey Stadium.
Mounir Nasraoui, Yamal’s father, was forced to stay at home in Spain, but the rest of his close friends and family have been publicly supporting him throughout the United States. Yamal’s younger brother, Keyne, has been seen closely accompanying his mother, Sheila Ebana, as she leads the emotional family support in the stadium stands.
In order to support the young Barcelona forward during this historic tournament run, his girlfriend Ines Garcia and a few of his closest childhood friends also traveled a great distance to North America. Even though they live far apart, Yamal often calls his father right away after games to keep in touch.
After Spain defeated France 2-0 in the semifinals, Yamal called Nasraoui to tell him how proud he was of him. In an emotional response, Nasraoui said he was even more proud of his son’s historic, record-breaking performance on the global stage.
Internet rumors speculated that a visa issue or legal trouble was behind Nasraoui’s absence, with some social media posts alleging a past criminal conviction.
But let’s clear the air, Mounir Nasraoui does not have a formal criminal record. Nasraoui was convicted and fined €600 for a public order offense in May 2023, where he was investigated for confronting supporters of the right-wing VOX party. Yamal’s father threw eggs at their electoral tent in the Catalan town of Mataró. He also shouted “racists” at them and stated at the trial: “I had reasons. I’m a human being.”
Nasraoui has had a turbulent few years in the public eye — in August 2024 he survived a serious stabbing attack in a Mataró parking lot that left him hospitalized, an incident that drew international coverage. He has also faced online abuse over his son’s decision to represent Spain rather than Morocco, the country where Nasraoui was born before emigrating to Spain as a child.
Nasraoui has now come out and explained his absence at the ongoing World Cup in USA. He has denied all rumors of a Visa ban, stating that his decision to forego traveling to the tournament was solely due to health concerns. He must take several heavy medications every day to manage his severe epilepsy, and travel medical professionals strongly advised him against taking long, taxing flights across the Atlantic.
Mounir Nasraoui said in the interview:
Why didn’t I fly to the USA to support Lamine? I suffer from epilepsy. I take quite a few pills every day, and with all the nerves and excitement, I could have an epileptic seizure. I can’t take long flights. Before travelling, I have to think about myself, my son, and the people around me. I don’t want to cause any problems, so it’s better for me to stay at home and watch him from there.
They cautioned that watching his son perform live in a large stadium could cause a sudden, dangerous seizure due to the extreme stress, intense emotions, and overwhelming nerves. Prioritizing his own safety, he chose to remain in Spain in order to prevent his family, the team, or other travelers from experiencing an unforeseen medical emergency.
Seeing Yamal’s father’s statement, many fans came to support his decision.
Respect man 🫡 if he was in the stand and suddenly had a seizure, yamal will be destroyed mentally so he did it for us ♥️🥂
— mayor of okun (@mayorkun27) July 16, 2026
One fan stated,
Man didn’t want to be a burden to anyone. Men and taking responsibility whatever the circumstances.
Meanwhile a football fan who traveled for the World Cup, came to defend him from the negative comments in social media,
I just got back from the US for the World Cup, and it’s so recent that even my profile still says I’m from the US. To go, they don’t ask for anything about your background to issue you the visa or the ESTA, and when you arrive, they don’t ask you anything related to crimes either—they’re only interested in you coming, spending money, and going back to your country. Stop lying. He didn’t go to the Emirates or Saudi Arabia to see his son in the Super Cup either. He can’t travel because of the illness, he’s not lying. That he’s a character is another matter.
Yamal, who turned 19 during the competition, is manager Luis de la Fuente’s tactical squad’s primary creative force. Remarkably, the winger has played in all seven of Spain’s tournament games since he recovered from a challenging hamstring injury earlier in the spring.
In 496 pivotal minutes on the field, he has scored a spectacular goal against Saudi Arabia, contributed one crucial assist, taken 15 shots, 10 of which were exactly on target, created five significant goal-scoring opportunities, and maintained an exceptional 86% passing completion rate throughout the competition.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and Spain is expected to be one of the most exciting games, and football fans worldwide are looking forward to it.
