Lamine Yamal's father rushes to his son's defence over controversial party

Lamine Yamal's 18th birthday party continues to be a talking point almost a week later. Mounir Nasraoui, the Barcelona player's father, has stepped in to defend his son against all the accusations and criticisms he's been receiving.

"I don't listen to criticism, I listen to my own. And mine is that my son is doing things well, that's it. It's not envy. It's that people, instead of seeing what's close to them, look at what's far away from others, and then they're green with envy. That's their problem," he said to 'Europa Press'.

Nasraoui believes his son isn't harming anyone: "He's turned 18 and he also has the right to enjoy life a little. We all understand that he's a professional sportsman, but he's also a child like any other."

"What we should be doing is all being proud to have a national player here in Spain. We should be proud to have a national number 10 who represents the '10' for his team and does so greatly for the national team. That's what we have to do, applaud him on and off the pitch, not destroy his mind."

Lamine's father asks for respect for the footballer: "I thank them for speaking. I thank them and I only ask for a little respect towards everyone. We are all equal. We have to be proud because there's a lad who is representing Spain internationally. I haven't seen a national player like Lamine Yamal."