Barcelona’s teenage sensation Lamine Yamal is once again under the spotlight for reasons unrelated to football, after being linked to a controversial trip to Milan shortly after the club’s El Clásico loss to Real Madrid.
According to well-known Spanish paparazzo Jordi Martín, the 18-year-old winger was spotted flying to Italy with friends early last week, where he allegedly attended a private party alongside Italian model Anna Gegnoso.
Martín claimed that Yamal spent the night with the model at Milan’s Armani Hotel, an incident that has reportedly upset his girlfriend, Argentine singer Nicki Nicole.
The photographer added that Yamal and his entourage tried to prevent journalists and photographers from capturing images during the outing.
Rumours suggest Yamal and Gegnoso had a previous romantic history before his current relationship began, adding fuel to the growing media storm around him.
The news has not gone down well within the Barcelona camp. Club officials are said to be increasingly frustrated with Yamal’s behaviour off the pitch, fearing his growing fame might be pulling him away from his football focus.
“Barcelona’s leadership is running out of patience,” Martín reported. “They believe Yamal is allowing distractions to interfere with his game.”
This is not the first time the young star’s lifestyle has sparked concern. A few weeks ago, while recovering from an injury, Yamal travelled to Croatia with Nicki Nicole and shared pictures of their holiday online, drawing criticism from both fans and the club.
The timing of this latest episode, coming just hours after a disappointing Clásico performance, has further angered Barcelona’s hierarchy. Instead of headlines about his football, Yamal is now being discussed for what happens off the pitch.
His growing list of controversies has left club insiders worried. They fear the young winger could lose sight of his development if he doesn’t refocus on the game that made him a star.