Lamine Yamal’s father, 35-year-old Mounir Nasraoui, has surprised fans by announcing his engagement to 23-year-old Khristina, just five years older than the Barcelona star himself.
The couple’s 12-year age gap has drawn public attention in recent months, but they appeared unfazed as they shared the engagement news this week.
Nasraoui, a social media personality with 1.3 million Instagram followers, posted a photo of the pair cuddled on a balcony, captioned with a black heart emoji and a ring, hinting that a wedding could be coming.
Khristina has appeared on Nasraoui’s Instagram multiple times, although it is unclear when their romance began.
While Nasraoui celebrates his new chapter, Yamal’s personal life has taken a different turn. The 18-year-old recently split from his Argentinian singer girlfriend Nikki Nicole, 25, who is older than his father’s fiancée.
Spanish journalist Javier de Hoyos, speaking on the show D Corazon on La 1, shared the update:
“Lamine Yamal has just written to me. This is an exclusive. Lamine tells me he and Nicki Nicole, who as you know was his girlfriend, are no longer together. But there are a few things he wants to clarify because in the last few days there has been a lot of speculation about whether he could have been unfaithful to Nicki or not.”
Looking at his mobile, co-presenter Javier added, “He’s cleared this up. He says they’re not together anymore and it hasn’t been because of any infidelity. We’ve simply separated and that’s it. Everything that’s been coming out has nothing to do with our relationship. Lamine tells me the trip to Italy has nothing to do with all of this, that he was no longer dating Nicki when he went and he hasn’t been with anyone else.”
Nasraoui’s engagement comes months after he survived a traumatic attack while walking his dog in Mataro, about 20 miles north of Barcelona.
In August, he suffered multiple stab wounds after an argument escalated into violence, according to La Vanguardia. Three suspects were arrested and charged with attempted murder.
Speaking to Spanish program El Chiringuito, Nasraoui reflected on the ordeal, “Thank God they have just taken me up to the ward and I am a little better. We must be calmer, for the good of everyone, for mine and my family’s. I must be calmer because I have no other choice, we must think that justice will do its job and it will surely do so, that is the most important thing. Thank God, who is very great, everything has a solution. Of course I was afraid, I saw myself between life and death, afraid like any human being.”
Nasraoui has been a constant supporter of Yamal’s football career. He was present when his son helped Spain win the European Championship at 17 and has often spoken about Yamal’s potential.
After watching PSG forward Ousmane Dembele win the Ballon d’Or in September, Nasraoui said, “I wouldn’t say it was theft, but rather moral harm to a human being. Because I believe Lamine Yamal is the best player in the world. By far, by far. Not because he’s my son, but because he’s the best player in the world. He has no rival. It’s Lamine Yamal. Something very strange happened here. Next year, he’ll be the Spanish Ballon d’Or winner.”
Although Yamal missed out on the Ballon d’Or, he was awarded the Kopa Trophy for Young Player of the Year.
