Barcelona star Lamine Yamal waves the Palestinian flag during the title parade

Barcelona star Lamine Yamal waved a Palestinian flag during an open-top bus parade as the team celebrated winning the Spanish title.

The 18-year-old winger, already widely regarded as one of the best footballers in the world, held the flag as the team bus drove through the streets of Barcelona on Monday. He also posted photos of himself holding it Instagram account.

On Tuesday, Barcelona coach Hansi Flick was questioned about Yamal’s decision to wave the flag.

“I normally don’t like this,” Flick told a news conference. «I talked to him. I said if he wants this, it’s his decision. He’s old enough. He’s 18 years old.»

There has been global backlash against Israel over the humanitarian toll of the war in Gaza, which has spread to sports and culture. Protests have been observed in sports such as football, cycling and basketball.

READ: Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola expects Crystal Palace to be ‘professional’ against Arsenal

By holding the flag, Lamal appeared to show his support for the Palestinians as an estimated nearly 7,50,000 people took to the streets to celebrate Barcelona’s La Liga title parade.

Flick said partying with fans after back-to-back titles was his priority.

“We play football and you can see what people expect from us,” he said. «We play football to make people happy. For me, this is the first thing we should do.»

Spain international Yamal is one of the leading contenders to take over Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as football’s biggest star. He is expected to be one of the stars at the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico in June and July.

Published on May 12, 2026