The father of Lamine Yamal, the 17-year-old who lit up the Euros with Spain, has been stabbed multiple times.
According to Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia and cited by Sky News, Mounir Nasraoui, the father of the young footballer, was attacked in a car park in Mataró, a town close to Barcelona.
He was immediately taken to the hospital where his condition is described as serious but stable.
Authorities have made three arrests in connection with the incident, although no further details have been provided at this time.
Earlier on Wednesday, El Pais reported that Nasraoui reportedly had an argument with a group of people while walking his dog.
Hours later, he was allegedly approached by the same group in a car park and was subsequently stabbed “multiple times.” The motive behind the attack remains unclear.
In a later update, sports website Relevo, also citing official sources, reported that Nasraoui has since been discharged from the hospital.
Local police have yet to issue an official statement regarding the incident and did not respond to requests for comment.
Yamal, a soccer player for Barcelona, was one of the standout players in the Euros this summer, as he and his team won the tournament.
Nasraoui also made headlines when he shared a long-forgotten photo on social media showing Lionel Messi posing with Yamal as a baby, creating one of the tournament’s most viral moments.
The Rocafonda neighborhood, where the stabbing took place, also gained attention during the tournament.
Yamal celebrated his achievements by signaling "304" with his hands, representing the last three digits of Rocafonda’s postal code, highlighting the pride he feels for his diverse, working-class neighborhood, per the Guardian.
This is not the first time Nasraoui has been involved in a confrontation.
Last year, he was fined €546 by a court in Mataró after insulting and throwing eggs at a tent set up by the far-right Vox party to rally votes.
“They had come here to get a rise out of people,” Juan Carlos Serrano Muñoz, owner of the small El Cordobés bar where Yamal and his father often stopped for breakfast before taking the 90-minute train to Barcelona for practice.
“And (Nasraoui) got annoyed, asking ‘what are you doing coming here? You’re just here to provoke,'" he told the Guardian.
Following his triumphs during the summer, Yamal is one of the most talked about soccer players right now, which is no surprise considering he was 16 when the tournament began.
He finished the tournament with one goal and four assists, including one in the final against England that put them 1-0 up.
