Lamine Yamal’s adorable three-year-old brother steals the show again as he shares heartfelt moment with World Cup winner on the pitch

Lamine Yamal is not the only member of her family to fascinate audiences around the world.

Keyne, the three-year-old half-brother of the 19-year-old Spanish striker, became the breakout star of the World Cup and went viral again on Sunday with his post-match celebration following the 1-0 victory over Argentina in the final.

Wearing a replica Spain jersey with his brother’s No. 19 jersey and his name on the back, Keyne rushed onto the field at MetLife Stadium, where he ran straight into his brother’s arms.

Yamal was more than happy to accept Keyne’s embrace and quickly lifted his little brother into the air, then gently placed him back on the field and placed a red ‘Lamine’ baseball cap on the little boy’s head.

That wasn’t the only hat Keyne tried on as he strolled around the MetLife grounds on Sunday. A New Jersey State Trooper couldn’t help but take off his hat to share it with Keyne, who tried it on and then politely returned it to the officer.

For Keyne, it was one of the final moments of a memorable World Cup run that featured multiple appearances on stadium scoreboards, as well as dozens of wire photos collected by news organizations around the world. Keyne even managed to score a goal against his brother’s teammate Nico Williams during some pre-match warm-ups.

Keyne was all smiles when he finally caught up with older brother Yamal after Sunday’s win

Keyne, 3, gestures on the field at MetLife Stadium after seeing his brother win Sunday’s final

Lamine Yamal places the World Cup trophy into the arms of his younger brother Keyne on Sunday

Keyne was seen dancing next to a giant replica of the World Cup trophy on Sunday

Yamal and his brother Keyne clenched fists next to the World Cup trophy on Sunday

Hola said, ‘This time, the biggest sensation of the competition is not the athlete, the goals or even the cup itself!’ – Spanish version of Hello! magazine – put in earlier this month. ‘Lamine Yamal’s three-year-old brother Keyne is taking the tournament by storm with his funny moments.’

Standing just a few feet tall, Keyne quickly became an internet sensation. The little boy melted hearts throughout his Spanish run and endeared himself to fans around the world.

Elsewhere in the media he has been referred to as the ‘star of the 2026 World Cup’, ‘Spain’s superstar in the stands’ and ‘the most loved personality of the tournament’.

Keyne’s popularity peaked after Spain’s quarter-final victory over Belgium, when television cameras spotted the three-year-old waving and smiling at his brother from the stands.

Lamine Yamal and her mother Sheila Ebana try to give the trophy to young Keyne

At just 3 years old, Keyne already looks like he has a World Cup victory under his belt

Keyne was given part of the castle network, which he used to entertain a state trooper.

A New Jersey state trooper couldn’t resist sharing his hat with Keyne.

Keyne was a man of many hats on Sunday, including this one from a state trooper

Yamal dropped a new baseball cap on his brother’s head after Sunday’s victory

Yamal burst into laughter when he saw Keyne sticking out his tongue on the stadium’s giant screens. Images of the young man’s funny moments quickly spread on social media.

Speaking to reporters after the match, Yamal made the moment even funnier by stating that his brother had warned him about his plans the day before.

“I was in physiotherapy and he called me using my mother’s phone and said he was going to stick his tongue out tomorrow,” the right winger said. ‘That’s why it really made me laugh when I saw it on screen.’

Born in September 2022, Keyne is the son of Yamal’s mother, Sheila Ebana. Although the pair do not share the same father, the Barcelona star spoke glowingly about their bond after being named player of the match in Spain’s last 32 win last Thursday.

‘I was so touched when I saw my little brother so happy and when I saw my mother and my friends living the life they always dreamed of,’ he said.

‘My little brother means everything to me. I’m in love with him; It feels like he’s my son.’

Keyne was not happy to watch Sunday’s World Cup final and instead got some practice.

Keyne impresses fans with flashy footwork at MetLife Stadium

For those who closely followed Yamal’s rise, Keyne’s presence is nothing new. While the football player regularly shares videos of them doing TikTok dances together, images of the couple playing football on the field during Barcelona’s La Liga championship celebrations last season also went viral.

There is footage of Keyne singing the Barcelona anthem at his home and cheering for his brother. After the La Liga match between Barcelona and Athletic Club, he was seen joking with Barça’s giant mascot Cat and spending time with Yamal’s close friend and Spain teammate Nico Williams. Yamal also recently shared a video of himself and his mother walking down the street together, with Keyne driving his Mercedes electric stroller behind him.

While touring his former apartment in Barcelona late last year, Yamal proudly showed viewers a small figurine of him crouching down, saying it was Keyne’s ‘favorite thing in my house’. The figure refers to the traditional Catalan caganer typically hidden in Nativity scenes and depicted defecating outside the stable, and Keyne seems particularly pleased that his older brother has his own version.

Keyne took a quick breather during Sunday’s festivities before getting his second wind

Keyne is accompanied by another Spanish fan in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Sunday

Yamal, who brought Keyne with him to the Ballon d’Or ceremony, had previously mentioned that he wanted to give his younger brother the childhood he never had. The winger made the famous ‘304’ celebration as a symbol of his identity and a nod to his roots, referencing the postcode of Rocafonda, one of the poorest neighborhoods in Catalonia, where he grew up.

“My mother gave birth to me when I was 16; now it’s real pressure,” she told Spanish broadcaster Cadena SER. ‘Then my father had to go out and make a living by picking up rubbish on the streets to bring food home. This is pressure. ‘All I have to do is play and make the Spanish fans happy.’

‘I came from an apartment where the kitchen and bedroom were in the same place,’ he said on a podcast last year. ‘So I see my mother happy, I see that my brother can have the childhood I want, and that makes me the happiest.’

Keyne is also a familiar face on his mother’s Instagram profile; It appears in sponsored posts, including a recent promotion of a sushi restaurant in Premià de Mar, a seaside town near Barcelona.

‘Sunday, sushi and good company,’ he wrote on Instagram.

Keyne and Yamal pictured with their mother Sheila Ebana after Spain’s Euro victory in 2024

This photo, taken in 2007, shows 20-year-old Lionel Messi helping bathe Lamine Yamal, who was only six months old at the time. Yamal’s mother Sheila Ebana is also in the photo

Ebana’s eldest son also has some memorable photos from his youth, including the famous photo taken with Barcelona star Lionel Messi in 2007.

Yamal’s parents, including his Moroccan-born father Mounir Nasraoui, participated in a raffle organized by Catalan newspaper Sport, and the winners received photos of their baby with a Barcelona player.

Yamal’s family famously won and matched with Messi.

In the footage, Messi bathed five-month-old Yamal and then held him wrapped in a towel.

This picture was crazy,” Messi said on Friday. ‘He was a baby and now we are facing each other. What a crazy picture.”

Who knows, if 39-year-old Messi can hold on a little longer, maybe one day he can face the family’s other viral star, Keyne.