Lamine Yamal spotted playing beach football with kids in Dubai as Barcelona wonderkid enjoys Christmas break

While football continues to be played right across England and Italy, it is very much a different story in the likes of France, Germany and Spain, with Ligue 1, Bundesliga and La Liga having all hit pause as winter takes hold of Europe.

One man who is making the most of his time away from club football is Barcelona superstar Yamal, who has been captured swapping the grass at Camp Nou for the golden sand of Dubai - a popular destination for footballers on vacation.

However, while the 18-year-old may have traded grass for sand, it turns out he hasn’t quite left the pitch altogether, having been pictured taking in a spot of beach football with a group of youngsters.

Head to toe in adidas sportswear, Yamal has been videoed having a brief kick-about with the kids. In the clip, the Spain winger can be seen letting off a fierce rabona, while he also showcased his skills by flicking the ball over the head of one young stargazer.

The video finishes with Yamal waving to the children once the match had come to a close, before stopping to take a selfie with one lucky supporter.

Yamal will be hoping his time spent in the Middle East will give him a spring in his step ahead of his return to Barcelona next month.

Hansi Flick’s side, who are currently four points clear of fierce rivals Real Madrid at the top of La Liga, return to league action away at Espanyol in the Catalan derby on 3 January, before locking horns with Athletic Club in the Spanish Super Cup semi-finals four days later.

Yamal has been in remarkable form for Barcelona in 2025-26, scoring nine goals and recording eight assists across both La Liga and the Champions League. 

The Blaugrana are currently 15th in the Champions League standings, meaning they have work to do in their final two fixtures against Slavia Prague and Copenhagen in January if they are to automatically qualify for the last 16.

Christmas could have looked very different for Yamal after he survived a horror challenge from defender Renato Veiga in Barcelona’s 2-0 win over Villarreal on 21 December - their final fixture before the winter break.

Former Chelsea man Veiga caught Yamal on the back of his foot in a poor tackle which led to him being sent off after 39 minutes at Estadio de la Ceramica.

However, Yamal was able to shake off the challenge and go on to play in a starring role in the game, scoring in the second half as Flick’s men secured their seventh straight victory in all competitions.

Villarreal head coach Marcelino was unhappy with the decision to send off Veiga, while he also felt his side should have been awarded a second-half penalty when Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia caught Rafa Marin.

He said: ”In a second play, the penalty comes. I don't know what the difference is between the penalty and the one in which Joan Garcia gets up and shoots Rafa Marin. Our chances were clearer, beyond the penalty and a crossbar from Raphinha. Barca's most decisive player was the goalkeeper.

"We made an avoidable mistake, which is the red card. I said to the referee: 'What happens if he gets a yellow card and then goes to the VAR?' He told me that he had seen it very clearly.

"For me, it has been excess of force. For me, it is not expulsion... Well, seeing it on another camera, maybe yes. It goes at ground level. In football, you have to live in the moments. There is no twisting of the ankle. With the beautiful show we were seeing, to leave a team with ten…”

Meanwhile, Barcelona boss Flick was full of praise for Garcia after the game, saying: “He saved us on many occasions. I'm also very happy he kept a clean sheet again.”