The off-field spotlight on Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal has intensified following a public statement from adult film actress Claudia Bavel, 29, who denied claims that she was rejected by the 17-year-old football sensation.
Speaking via her Instagram stories, Bavel refuted Yamal’s assertion—recently made during an appearance on the talk show TardeAR—that they had never met and that he had rebuffed her alleged advances.
“I have chosen not to speak publicly on this matter in 2025,” Bavel began. “However, since Lamine Yamal mentioned our alleged relationship on TardeAR, I find it appropriate to share my version with clarity and respect. He claims to live with his mother, but in reality lives alone. He says he rejected me, when he was the one who sought my contact and insisted on meeting. He denies we’ve met, despite crossing paths at several social events.”
Bavel maintained that nothing ever occurred between them, but rejected the narrative that she had been pursuing Yamal. “I respectfully ask that offensive and defamatory messages stop,” she added.
“I have NEVER had any relationship with a minor, never arranged a meeting, and there was never any plan involving fame or money. The only thing we agree on is that no meeting or situation ever happened between us. Behind the headlines and public opinion, there are people. Out of respect, I ask for understanding and restraint.”
Yamal, for his part, has firmly denied Bavel’s initial claims that he had messaged her persistently. “I have never seen her,” the teenage forward said. “Everything she is saying is a lie.”
The latest back-and-forth comes just days after another controversy involving Yamal and 29-year-old OnlyFans model Fati Vázquez, with whom he was recently photographed while on holiday.
Vázquez has stated that the trip was platonic and that she is now facing online threats and insults. She has threatened legal action in response to the harassment.
Yamal turns 18 next month.
