A 15-year-old student from Kerala has become an unexpected social media star after videos highlighting his resemblance to Spanish football sensation Lamine Yamal went viral.
Allen James, from Chakkuvally in Kollam, has been widely compared to Yamal, the Barcelona forward, due to his facial features, hairstyle, and smile. A video featuring Allen, filmed and shared by Nikhil Manohar, a block panchayat member and vlogger, brought the similarity to a much larger audience, according to reports. One of the videos posted by Manohar has garnered more than 14 million views on Instagram.
Allen, a Class 10 student at Peruvazhi Government High School, is an active member of his school football team and plays in defence—a contrast to Yamal's attacking role on the pitch. Football runs in his family, with his brother also playing the sport. Allen says he has been playing football since childhood and prefers defence. While he has developed a special admiration for Yamal, he remains a devoted fan of Lionel Messi and Argentina.
The sudden attention has changed Allen's daily life. His social media following, which stood at around 200 earlier, has now crossed 20,000, according to one report, while another put the figure at more than 30,000. He has also started receiving invitations to attend local events as a guest, with people eager to meet Kerala's Yamal lookalike.
"Many people have been telling me since long ago that I look like Yamal, but I never really paid much attention to it. I suddenly became noticed around the World Cup. After the video went viral, my life changed," Allen said. "I would love to receive a message from Yamal. People in my locality are very happy. I also hear jokes and comments on social media, but I don't take them seriously."
He added: "I have been playing football since childhood. I prefer playing in defence. I like Yamal, but Messi and Argentina are my favourites."
As the clips continue to circulate, social media users have speculated about what could come next for Allen. Some joked that his resemblance might take him all the way to Barcelona, with one user writing, "With the way social media is right now and clubs and players wanting to capitalise on it, expect this boy to be invited to Camp Nou." Other comments included "Lekshmi yamal" and "Lamine from Alibaba."