Lamine Yamal’s father said he was ‘scared for his life’ after he was injured in a stabbing near Barcelona.
Mounir Nasraoui has spoken out for the first time following a brutal attack in his hometown of Mataro, around 20 miles north-east of the Catalan city, on Wednesday night.
The 35-year-old suffered multiple stab wounds in a fight in a car park which broke out after an argument he had with a group of people while walking his dog earlier the same day.
Nasraoui was rushed to an intensive care unit at Can Ruti Hospital but has since been moved to a normal ward and is said to be in a stable condition.
Three people have been arrested by Spanish police on suspicion of attempted murder and a fourth person has also been detained.
Speaking from his hospital bed, Nasraoui admitted he feared for his life immediately after the attack.
‘Thank god they have just taken me up to the ward and I am a little better,’ he told Spanish program El Chiringuito.
‘We must be calmer, for the good of everyone, for mine and my family’s .
‘I must be calmer because I have no other choice, we must think that justice will do its job and it will surely do so, that is the most important thing.
‘Thank god, who is very great, everything has a solution. Of course I was afraid, I saw myself between life and death, afraid like any human being.’
Yamal, the 17-year-old superstar who helped Spain win Euro 2024 this summer, was spotted leaving the hospital where his dad is recovering yesterday.
The Barcelona winger reported for training as normal in the morning before heading to be by his father’s side at the facility in the nearby Badalona.
Club president Joan Laporta and Yamal’s reps also went to visit Nasraoui, while the victim’s brother has remained in constant contact with his nephew.
On Wednesday afternoon, police officers were forced to intervene when three individuals heckled and threw water at Nasraoui as he walked along the street with his dog.
In a video filmed by a person from an apartment close to the scene, Nasraoui was seen being led away by a man before he spoke to two police officers.
He was attacked later that night at around 9.10pm and a police investigation is ongoing.
A spokesman for the regional Mossos d’Esquadra police force said on Thursday morning: ‘That incident and the circumstances surrounding the subsequent stabbing and whether the men allegedly involved bumped into each other or the suspects laid in wait for the victim is still under investigation and is an important part of the probe because it will determine the charges the arrested men could face.’
Nasraoui thanked everyone for their support in a message on Instagram and wrote: ‘Thank you all for your encouragement, I’m better now. A big hug to everyone.’
Yamal’s dad is one of his biggest supporters and was seen celebrating on the pitch after Spain beat England 2-1 in the Euro 2024 final.
He was born in Morocco but moved to Spain when he was nine years old where he later met Yamal’s mother Sheila Ebana.
The teenage La Liga star was raised in the Rocafonda neighbourhood of Mataro and still honours the area with his ‘304’ celebration which references the postcode.
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