Why Barcelona superstar Lamine Yamal will no longer sign autographs for fans

Suraj Radia

• 17 Oct 2025 11:00 CDT
• 3 min read

News

Lamine Yamal will stop signing autographs for fans after the Barcelona wonderkid agreed a sponsorship deal to sell merchandise with his signature on it instead.

The 18-year-old has become a global superstar since making his Barcelona debut in 2023 and that has come with immense attention, resulting in the Spanish wonderkid receiving huge offers for endorsements and partnerships.

According to Mundo Deportivo, one of Yamal’s newest deals will see him partner with a website that sells the apparel of sports stars with signatures, prompting a move to stop the teenager from doing it freely for fans.

Yamal will still continue to pose for pictures but the forward explained to Barcelona that he would not be able to provide his autograph for club commitments, to which the La Liga side accepted and supported.

Barcelona have now reportedly entered negotiations to obtain access to a number of Yamal’s autographs to fulfil their commitments, while the player’s agency is looking to seal a deal to market his signed items.

This would, in theory, result in fewer products circulating with his signature on it, thereby making his autograph more valuable, resulting in fans needing to purchase items signed by him through the website.

Yamal becomes one of football’s top earning stars

The new deal is just another example of how Yamal has established himself as the new golden boy of his generation, having been named as one of the top ten earners in football this week.

With deals alongside brands such as Adidas, Beats and Powerade, Forbes have reported that Yamal makes $43 million (€37m) per year, €8.5m of which comes from his off-the-field earnings.

The Spain international has become among Barcelona’s highest earners after signing a new six-year contract this summer worth a reported €28m annually.

Yamal has been virtually an ever-present in Barcelona’s side in the last two years as well as a regular for Spain, for whom he is expected to feature at his first ever World Cup next summer.

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