- Lamine Yamal celebrated his 18th birthday with a lavish party attended by 200 guests.
- Reports accused him of hiring people with dwarfism as waiters and inviting women based on body measurements.
- Model Claudia Calvo claimed women were offered up to €20,000 to attend the party.
- Disability groups and government officials condemned the alleged practices, with ADEE threatening legal action.
- Yamal denied the allegations, calling them false and attempts to smear his name.
- Despite the controversy, he remains in strong form for Barcelona and Spain, scoring and assisting in early matches.
- He recently confirmed his relationship with Argentine rapper Nicki Nicole.
Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal has finally spoken out about the storm surrounding his extravagant 18th birthday celebration held in July.
The party, attended by around 200 guests including his family, friends, and Barcelona teammates, was initially hailed as a lavish milestone. But soon after, reports began circulating that the event had exploited people with dwarfism, allegedly hiring them as waiters, and that women were invited based on strict physical criteria.
The controversy deepened when Spanish model Claudia Calvo, a former Miss Teenager Spain, alleged that women were recruited for the party with requirements such as a specific breast size and hair color. She further claimed that some were offered between €10,000 and €20,000 for 24-hour attendance.
While the allegations sparked outrage from disability advocates and Spain’s General Director of Disability, Jesús Martín, Yamal dismissed the criticism in an interview with Spanish outlet Resonancia de Corazón. He described the accusations as attempts to smear him and denied selecting women based on appearance, insisting that much of what was reported was false.
Meanwhile, ADEE, an association representing people with Achondroplasia and other skeletal dysplasias, condemned the reported hiring of dwarf waiters and even threatened legal action, warning that celebrities should not consider themselves above the law.
Despite the uproar, Yamal’s football form has not suffered. The young forward has already scored twice in Barcelona’s opening La Liga games and assisted three goals for Spain in recent World Cup qualifiers. He has also gone public with his relationship with Argentine rapper Nicki Nicole, who was spotted at the party.
