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Français (Afrique)A 15-year-old teenage schoolboy from Kerala named Allen James has become an overnight internet sensation for his undeniable resemblance to Spain’s 2026 FIFA World Cup winning teenager Lamine Yamal. People on social media can’t help but compare the two after a video of Allen started circulating on Instagram.
The Kerala boy does not have one similar trait to Lamine Yamal, he has many. From his hairstyle to smile and facial structure to skin tone, Allen James almost looks like the Spaniard’s mini version, or as people are saying, the Indian version.
Allen has garnered over 38,000 followers on Instagram because of the same reason with one of his reels featuring crossing 14 million views with people only wondering as to how can he look exactly like the FC Barcelona number 10.
Allen James has become so famous that if you type “Lamine Yamal Kerala” on Google, the Kerala teenager’s name and photo will pop up at the top. It is certainly an unique achievement for Allen, who is a Class 10 student at Peruvazhi Government High School and is also a football lover.
There are photos of Allen wearing the Spain and Barcelona jerseys and he undeniably looks just like Yamal. However, there is one big difference between him and the star footballer. While Yamal is known for his attacking game, Allen plays in defense for his school team.
Football is already part of Allen’s life. His brother also plays the sport and Allen has been playing since childhood. Despite the comparisons with Yamal, his favourite player is Lionel Messi and he supports Argentina.
“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 told Indian Express.
The sudden attention has changed his social media presence as well. Allen had around 200 followers before the video became popular. His following has since crossed 30,000, while he has also started receiving invitations to local events.
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The teenager is now waiting for Lamine Yamal to notice him and get a message from the Morocco-born Spanish footballer on Instagram. Allen James also claimed that people in his locality are happy about it and that he does hear plenty of jokes about him but he doesn’t take them seriously.
“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 said.
Allen also made it clear that football remains more important to him than the resemblance that has made him famous.
“I have been playing football since childhood. I prefer playing in defense. I like Yamal, but Messi and Argentina are my favourites,” he said.
On the comment section, users gave unique nicknames to Allen with some calling him “Lekshmi Yamal or Lamine Jamal”, others labelled him as “Lamine from Alibaba or Meesho”. Many users even affimed that the day is not far away when Allen gets invited to the Spotify Camp Nou Stadium and meet the Barca players.