According to Diario Sport, Yamal's upbringing at Rocafonta is well-known, and now he is being seen by even more people because of the World Cup.
Yamal's father is from Morocco and his mother is from Equatorial Guinea. He grew up on the streets of Rocafonta in Mataró before joining La Masia and integrating into the Barcelona system.
However, he has never hidden his pride in the postal code "304," whether on various occasions or at the recent World Cup. After all, it was there that he first played football and first dribbled past opponents. The locals are also proud to have nurtured such a 19-year-old football superstar.
One of the people who knows all this best is Maria Maho y Claverli. A teacher, a long-time resident of the neighborhood, and a key figure in the local social movement, she recalls seeing Yamal on the street as a child: “He came from a separated family. His mother moved with him to La Torreta, which is where he started playing football when he was three, four, or five years old,” she told the Education Daily in a 2024 interview.
The Catalan football system is complex, with many smaller clubs affiliated with larger ones, supplying the latter with talented players. This was also the case with the Barcelona player's first club, which was linked to Espanyol. However, it was Barcelona that first recognized the boy's talent. Barcelona suggested to his family that he go to La Masia, where he could both develop into a good player and receive a good education.
The woman has many precious memories of the young player's childhood, a daily life far removed from today's fame and success: "One of Uncle Abdul's sons would pick Yamal up every Friday and take him to his grandmother's house. He would go to the football field in the neighborhood and play football with the local Moroccan kids."
“Rocafontaine is where he has a lot of feelings and friends. When he played on the pitch, everyone would follow him and try to play like him. He made many friends here. Rocafontaine holds a deep emotional weight for him,” Maho said, emphasizing the significance of the place to him.
With this "304," Yamal also makes the locals proud: "It's good that he's willing to express pride in the neighborhood. Now many people come out and say they were born in Rocafonta. Amid all this noise, what I care about most is that this kid who grew up in this neighborhood isn't ashamed to mention Rocafonta. He's paying tribute to his family, but more importantly, to his friends and the place that has always given him warmth," she added. This feeling is mutual because "in Rocafonta, he felt loved, and he loves Rocafonta." This is undoubtedly a win-win situation: on the one hand, Yamal has brought the neighborhood and Mataró into the spotlight; on the other hand, if he hadn't first honed his skills on the streets with children of different ages and backgrounds, he wouldn't have become who he is today.
