Off the pitch, Lamine Yamal has also explored his interest in gastronomy, as the FC Barcelona forward revealed that he was learning to cook with the help of a personal chef who came to his home at night to prepare his meals, while he watched and participated in the process.
The confession was part of the documentary 304, in which the footballer shared aspects of his private life, his early steps in the sport and memories of his childhood in Rocafonda, a neighborhood of Mataró, Spain. In that material, the player explained that his culinary learning consisted of accompanying the professional during the preparation of the dishes and trying to carry out some tasks on his own.
Although he acknowledged that he still had a lot to learn, he also spoke of his interest in mastering some recipes related to his family origins. Among them stand out two preparations that are part of the cuisines of Morocco and Equatorial Guinea, countries linked to his parents’ history.
Is he good at cooking? Lamine Yamal confesses how he learns to cook with a personal chef
In his statements, the footballer described what the cooking sessions at home were like. “The chef comes to my house at night. She makes the food for me and while she does, I watch and start doing something,” he explained, according to statements released by international media.
Yamal also acknowledged that learning to cook wasn’t as easy as it might seem. At that moment, the forward explained that he progressed slowly and that the knowledge he had received from his mother complemented what he was learning together with the chef.
“With what my mother taught me and what I’m doing now, well, I’m learning, but little by little,” the footballer commented in the audiovisual material.
Couscous and peanut rice: the dishes he wanted to learn
Yamal’s interest in cooking is also connected to his family roots, as his father, Mounir Nasraoui, is of Moroccan origin, while his mother, Sheila Ebana, has roots in Equatorial Guinea.
Among the dishes the footballer mentioned is couscous, a traditional Moroccan culinary preparation that is usually made with wheat semolina and accompanied by vegetables, legumes, or meat, depending on the recipe.
The second is peanut rice, a preparation linked to the cuisine of Equatorial Guinea. Both dishes represent flavors related to the player’s family history and the food he would like to learn to prepare.
Lamine Yamal after his cooking classes
Although the statements about his culinary lessons drew attention, the footballer offered an update on the topic in an ESPN interview aired in February 2026.
In that conversation, Yamal acknowledged that he had stopped the cooking classes and joked about his skills in front of the stoves: “To tell the truth, I dropped it because it wasn’t my thing. I was very bad, very bad,” he stated. He then added that the most he could prepare was some nuggets with potatoes.
In this way, the player himself clarified that his experience as a cooking learner did not continue as he had hoped, but his statements showed a everyday facet of the forward, who has also talked about the importance of spending time with his friends, looking after his brother, and finding moments to disconnect from football.
