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Fans who have watched Lamine Yamal work his magic on the soccer field over the past two seasons may have found themselves curious about why the teenage sensation always sports a bandage on his right hand. Yamal has now revealed the reason, and it's as strange as it is understandable.
Since the second half of the 2024–25 season, Yamal has taken to the field with a full right hand-wrap along with two thin bandages binding his two middle fingers. In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, the Barcelona and Spain star admitted the hand-wrap originated from a moment of frustration during a video gaming session.
"I wrap my hand because I threw a punch at the TV while I was playing PlayStation," Yamal confessed. "I smashed my fingers, they ended up very swollen. Since then I wore the bandage and the hand-wrap fit me very well, as if I was Karim Benzema.
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"We joked that I was KB9 [Benzema] so I decided to keep using it. I think it looks great so I decided to keep it."
Benzema wore a similar hand-wrap throughout much of his celebrated Real Madrid career. Yamal has apparently chosen to embrace the bandage purely as an aesthetic nod to the French forward, even though a former Real Madrid doctor had offered a different theory — one that carried serious implications.
Yamal Debunks Real Madrid Conspiracy Theories
Yamal isn't the only Barcelona player to have regularly worn a hand-wrap over the past two seasons, with teammates such as Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski also sporting bandages.
Back in late April 2025, former Real Madrid first-team physician Niko Mihic not-so-subtly suggested that Barcelona players might be concealing their wrists to hide needle marks, hinting at allegations of a possible doping scandal.
"I don't know what is happening," Mihic said at the time. "But what I want to say is that every doctor knows that if you want the easiest access to the veins, it's in the hands and wrists. It might be a lot to say, but I don't understand why they are doing it, so they should come out and deny it, show me why they are doing it. What's the secret?
"They might be getting tendinitis from playing too much table soccer, just like maybe they didn't bribe Negreira," Mihic added, referencing the widely documented allegations involving Barcelona and the former vice-president of Spanish soccer's refereeing committee.
Just days later, Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 4–3 to effectively seal the 2024–25 La Liga title, and Raphinha pointed to his heavily bandaged right hand while celebrating one of his two goals that day, appearing to fire back at Mihic's remarks.
Lamine Yamal's Promise If Spain Wins 2026 World Cup
Yamal was also asked what he would do if Spain claimed victory at the 2026 World Cup. The teenager, set to compete in his first World Cup this summer, didn't hesitate to answer.
"I promise that if I win the World Cup, I'll grow my beard and mustache for three weeks," Yamal stated.
The perpetually clean-shaven youngster would certainly attract attention sporting a beard and mustache, though three weeks seems unlikely to produce much growth for an 18-year-old.
Regardless, Yamal will make his World Cup debut this summer once he has fully recovered from a hamstring injury, adding even more firepower to Spain's already formidable squad.
Interestingly, it remains to be seen whether he'll sport his signature hand bandage at the tournament, given that he has yet to wear it while representing Spain, reserving the wrap exclusively for his appearances with Barcelona.