Lamine Yamal’s 18th birthday was supposed to be a big deal—a celebration of a young football star’s rise to fame.
Barcelona even honored him with a cool mural in Plaza Joanic, showing him as Superman with a bold “L” on his chest.
But things have taken a rough turn. The mural’s been targeted with cruel graffiti mocking dwarfism, and while it turns out the vandalism was just AI-generated images, the drama around Yamal’s birthday bash is very real.
The party, held on July 13, was a private, Mafia-themed event at a secret estate with about 200 guests. But it sparked a firestorm.
Reports say the entertainment included five men with achondroplasia (a form of dwarfism) and women hired under some pretty sketchy conditions. Photos leaked online, and people are not happy.
Jesús Martín, Spain’s General Director for Disability, spoke out to Marca, calling the whole thing unacceptable.
He’s pushing for an investigation, saying, “It’s worrying when people with money and fame act like they’re above the law.
This isn’t the kind of example we want for kids looking up to Yamal.”
The controversy doesn’t stop there. A Spanish model and former Miss Teenager Europe, Calvo, shared her own unsettling experience.
She told Tardear TV that organizers reached out to her, looking for 12 blonde women with specific physical requirements.
They were offering €10,000 to €20,000 for a 24-hour gig, but the catch? The women wouldn’t know where they were going or what exactly was expected beyond “having a good time.” Calvo noped out, saying it felt “shady.”
Now, with public outrage growing and officials raising eyebrows, Yamal’s milestone birthday has turned into a PR mess.
The mural, meant to celebrate his bright future, is now caught up in a storm that’s anything but super.
