Article by Daniel Scorpie – Published Tuesday, November 11, 2025 23:29 / Updated Tuesday, November 11, 2025 23:32
Lamine Yamal (18), Barcelona's right winger, is the clear leader in the survey published in Spain on cases of racism and xenophobia involving La Liga footballers. According to El Pais, 60% of hate messages on social networks are directed at the Spanish star! Much more than the aggressive ones against Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr, Nico Williams or Alejandro Balde.
Lamine Yamal's image in Spain is losing more and more of its luster as the Barcelona star is embroiled in scandals, either on the pitch or in his personal life. After the new scandal between Barcelona and the Federation, which had to cancel his call-up to the national team after the club decided to subject him to special treatment, the extreme right is in the foreground with another negative news.
Despite complaints and public awareness campaigns, racism is becoming an increasingly widespread problem in Spanish football as well. In recent days, the newspaper El País has published data from a report on cases of xenophobia drawn up by the Ministry of the Interior, which raised yet another alarm signal: “Racism is on the rise in football!”.
Lamine Yamal received the most insults!
In addition to the chants and banners in the stadiums, the Spanish authorities examined data on user interactions on social networks. The most surprising revelation is that Lamine Yamal received the most insults.
Lamine Yamal, in the middle of the conflict between the Spanish Federation and Barcelona / Photo: Imago
“Still a minor, the Barcelona striker led the Spanish national team to the European title with his goals and spectacular play, but received 60% of all racist hate messages on the Internet. Percentage more than double those received by Rodrigo from Real Madrid and much more than those addressed to Mbappé, Balde, Brahim Díaz or Inaki Williams”notes the quoted source.
Phrases like “puto negro” (damn black) and “moro inmundo” (stinking black) abound on social media. “The problem is not new in a country where the phenomenon even reached Formula 1 in 2008, with racist chants affecting Lewis Hamilton during the Spanish Grand Prix.
In 2006, during a match between Barcelona and Real Zaragoza, Samuel Eto'o was the target of chants and monkey sounds. The Cameroon star threatened to leave the field but the referee convinced him to stay, temporarily stopping the game. “It seemed like I should feel guilty because I'm black,” declared the Cameroonian a few years later,” El Pais recalled.
Dani Alves ate a banana thrown by fans. Vinicius Jr. stopped the match against Valencia and the fans were condemned!
In 2014, Dani Alves made history during the Villarreal v Barcelona match after a fan threw a banana at him as he prepared to take a corner. The Brazilian defender surprised everyone by eating it up and turning the insult into a gesture of defiance and irony.
Vinicius, NERVOUS BREAKDOWN in El Clasico
Another recent famous case is Vinícius. The Brazilian managed to convince the referee to suspend the match between Valladolid and Real Madrid from 2022 until the racist chants stopped.
The Blanco player denounced supporters who, for the first time in football, were convicted by the Spanish courts of “hate crimes”, facing prison terms and stadium bans.
