Lamine Yamal 'Blocked' From Flying Home With Teammates After Spain World Cup Qualifier

Lamine Yamal was unable to leave Turkey with his Spain teammates after starring in La Roja's 6-0 World Cup qualifying trouncing on Sunday night.

The European champions ran riot at the Konya Metropolitan Municipality Stadium, with Arsenal's Mikel Merino bagging a hat-trick, Pedri helping himself to a brace and fellow Barcelona teammate Ferran Torres also getting in on the act.

Yamal wasn't on target but registered two assists in a game where he had a brief disagreement with Real Madrid star Arda Guler, who shoved him in the second half.

The 18-year-old was all smiles but his mood changed after the game when it appeared that he could not find his passport.

Footage from Turkish source Beyaz Futbol showed a distressed Yamal, wearing his own clothes and headphones, searching for his passport on the team bus before returning to the dressing room to check there.

The 2025 Ballon d'Or nominee was also seen rooting through his suitcase on the floor of a car park alongside members of staff but it was reported that he left the stadium without the vital document.

Journalist Emir updated fans on the situation on X, writing: "Lamine Yamal lost his passport. After the match, Lamine Yamal searched for his passport for a long time, returned to the locker room, and looked for it there as well. He left the stadium without finding it."

As per Turkiye Today, the Spanish Football Federation contacted Turkish authorities and they liased with local police over the matter.

The issue was then resolved and Yamal travelled back home separately from the rest of the group on a private jet.

He will now return to Barcelona for training ahead of a home clash with Valencia on Sunday.

Members of the England national team, which includes Yamal's teammate Marcus Rashford, typically hand over their passports to FA staff when they arrive for international duty and are given it back as and when they need it.

Yamal has regularly been compared to Barcelona icon Lionel Messi and he too has had mix-ups involving his passport.

In 2023, Messi was stopped at passport control in Beijing airport after using his Spanish passport instead of his Argentinian passport.

With officers present, Messi is said to have waited two hours for an expedited visa which allowed him entry into China for a friendly with Australia.