Barcelona fans hoping to make a memory from Lamine Yamal will be left disappointed in future now with an impending decision he is about to take.
According to reports in Spain, the teenage sensation has already stopped signing shirts for supporters at the club’s Ciutat Esportiva training ground due to a deal he has in place with a company.
Mundo Deportivo claim that a Yamal is close to signing terms with a website – which is not named – specialising in selling sports stars’ apparel and merchandise with autographs.
And as a consequence, he has been told by the people who manage his advertising contracts to stop signing autographs.
The 18-year-old’s advertising team are negotiating are to market his signed items, such as boots and shirts among others, and the fewer items he signs for fans at present would add value to his signature.
Therefore, anyone who will wish to obtain a signed piece of Yamal memorabilia will have to go through this website and pay for it.
Lamine Yamal is no longer signing autographs for free as he closes in on a merchandise deal
According to Mundo Deportivo, Yamal is close to signing terms with a website – which is not named – specialising in selling sports stars’ apparel and merchandise with autographs
Yamal is not short of money with Forbes estimating his wealth at £32million ($43m).
It comes after a breakthrough 2024-25 season that saw him score 18 goals and register 25 assists across all competitions for Barcelona after helping Spain to Euro 024 glory.
Forbes said Yamal has bolstered his sponsor stable by adding Beats by Dre to a portfolio already featuring Adidas, Konami and Powerade, pushing his earnings to £32m.
The youngster was rewarded with a new Barca contract until 2031 after the club swept the domestic treble of LaLiga, Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup.
He also inherited the famous number 10 shirt previously worn by Messi – a symbolic passing of the torch.
Yamal will be looking to do his talking on the pitch on Saturday when they take on local rival rivals Girona in a Catalan derby.
The forward has been suffering with a groin injury but Barca boss Hansi Flick has confirmed he is available.
Speaking ahead of that game on Friday, Flick said: ‘Lamine and Fermin [Lopez] are back, but they can’t play 90 minutes. If we play at a good level, we can beat anyone.
‘The important thing is to start the game well. We have to play at our best, and that’s what I expect from the team.’
