Who is Ebrima Tunkara? Barcelona's 'next Lamine Yamal' from La Masia

Tom Weber

• 22 Oct 2025 07:01 CDT
• 4 min read

Analysis

Barcelona's La Masia academy is famous for consistently producing elite players who are capable of seamlessly slotting into the club's first team.

Lamine Yamal is the most high-profile recent example of a homegrown youngster making it on the big stage, with the 18-year-old already a European champion with Spain, a domestic treble winner with the Blaugrana and a Ballon d'Or runner-up.

Now, some at Barcelona believe that they have unearthed the next talent capable of hitting the heights of Yamal. The player in question is a 15-year-old teenager by the name of Ebrima Tunkara, so who is he, and how good can he become?

What position does Ebrima Tunkara play?

Tunkara is primarily an attacking midfielder, capable of playing centrally and out on the wing.

How good is Ebrima Tunkara?

According to transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, sources at Barcelona are bullish about Tunkara's prospects of reaching the club's first team, with some going so far as to suggest that his rise could rival that of Yamal.

Born in The Gambia, Tunkara moved to Spain with his family in 2017 and enrolled in the academy of AEiLL Cerdanyola Mataro. Within a year, however, Barcelona had taken notice of him and brought him into their youth setup.

The left-footed youngster has risen through the ranks of La Masia and is already featuring for Barcelona's U19s in the UEFA Youth League despite his tender age of just 15.

Despite his Gambian roots, Tunkara has played exclusively for Spain's youth teams, featuring for La Roja at U15, U16 and currently U17 level, where he has scored three times in four appearances at the time of writing.

He became the youngest player to score a brace for Spain's U17s when he notched two goals and an assist against Andorra in early October 2025, breaking a record set by Yamal.

Despite being quick and nimble, Tunkara has the physicality to hold his own against older players. His strongest assets are his speed and his decisiveness when driving with the ball at the opposition defence.

Another sign of the player's evident potential is the fact that superagent Pini Zahavi is tasked with negotiating his next Barcelona contract, which goes to show that he is already a well-known commodity in the industry.

What clubs are interested in Ebrima Tunkara?

It is currently not clear if Tunkara has any big-name suitors, but the youngster looks set to sign a new Barcelona deal in the near future, which would rule out a transfer elsewhere for the time being.

How old is Ebrima Tunkara?

Tunkara was born on 10 March 2010, making him 15 years old at the time of writing.

When does Ebrima Tunkara's contract expire?

Ebrima Tunkara's current Barcelona contract runs until 30 June 2026.

What is Ebrima Tunkara's Instagram?

Ebrima Tunkara does not currently have a public Instagram account.

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