Lamine Yamal’s Old iPhone Accidentally Reveals Something Few People Expected
Lamine Yamal’s Old iPhone Accidentally Reveals Something Few People Expected
Lamine Yamal’s seemingly ordinary iPhone has unexpectedly become a major topic of discussion on social media.
At the age of 19, Lamine Yamal has already achieved nearly everything a footballer could dream of: a European Championship title, a World Cup trophy, Barcelona’s iconic No. 10 shirt, and recognition as one of the biggest stars in world football.
Following the 2026 World Cup, Transfermarkt reportedly raised Yamal’s market value to €220 million, approximately $240 million, making him the first footballer in history to surpass the €200 million mark.
In addition, he has a long-term contract with Barcelona reportedly worth tens of millions of dollars per year, along with numerous endorsement agreements with major global brands.
(Photo: Carl Recine/Getty Images Sport via Getty Images)
In other words, Yamal could easily replace his smartphone every week without ever worrying about the price.
However, what caught social media’s attention after the World Cup final was not the golden trophy or any luxury item.
It was the iPhone in the Spanish star’s hand.
As Yamal bent down to embrace his younger brother during the celebration, cameras captured him holding an iPhone with a visibly scratched back, peeling paint around the edges, and several signs that it had been used for a long time.
The image quickly went viral because it was completely different from what people expected to see from a footballer reportedly worth tens of millions of dollars.
(Photo: FC Barcelona)
This was not the first time Yamal had been seen using an iPhone.
Previous photographs from his daily life have shown him carrying devices from Apple’s ecosystem, even though he has reportedly represented a different smartphone brand.
What made this particular phone interesting was that it did not appear to be a brand-new device taken out of the box specifically for a media appearance.
The scratches, worn edges, and visible signs of use led many people to believe that it was simply the phone Yamal carried every day.
Do More Successful Men Replace Their Phones Less Often?
Of course, it would be unreasonable to conclude from one old iPhone that Lamine Yamal follows a minimalist lifestyle.
However, the Spanish football star’s story brings to mind a common trait shared by many successful entrepreneurs and celebrities around the world.
When money is no longer a limitation, people often stop caring so much about owning the newest technological products.
One of the most famous examples is Warren Buffett.
Despite consistently ranking among the wealthiest people in the world, with a fortune worth hundreds of billions of dollars, the “Oracle of Omaha” continued using a Samsung SCH-U320 flip phone until 2020.
Only after Apple CEO Tim Cook repeatedly encouraged him did Buffett finally switch to an iPhone.
For Buffett, a phone was simply a tool for communication. It was not a symbol of wealth, success, or social status.
Warren Buffett used a flip phone for many years before switching to an iPhone when he was nearly 90 years old.
(Photo: CNN)
Another example is Mark Zuckerberg.
The founder of Meta has long been known for his minimalist approach to daily life, famously wearing nearly identical gray T-shirts almost every day.
Zuckerberg once explained that he wanted to reduce the number of small, unnecessary decisions he had to make so he could save his energy for more important work.
Experts often connect this philosophy to the concept of “decision fatigue”—the mental exhaustion caused by making too many choices throughout the day.
In one interview, Zuckerberg reportedly explained:
“I really want to clear my life so that I have to make as few decisions as possible about anything except how to best serve this community.”
(Photo: Business Insider)
The common point in these stories is not whether these successful people use expensive or inexpensive phones, or whether their devices are new or old.
It is the way they evaluate an object’s true value.
When money is no longer a concern, purchasing decisions are less likely to come from a need to prove status.
Instead, usefulness becomes the priority.
When a phone continues to function properly and still meets the demands of work and daily life, there may be little reason to replace it simply because a newer model has entered the market.
That may also explain why the image of Lamine Yamal holding a scratched iPhone attracted so much attention.
It was not because he could not afford a new phone.
It was because the image appeared to reflect an attitude commonly seen among many successful people: the value of an object does not depend on how new it is, but on whether it continues to serve its purpose.
When Money Is No Longer a Problem, Practical Value Becomes the Priority
Lamine Yamal’s story also reflects a broader trend in the global smartphone market.
According to Counterpoint Research, the average smartphone replacement cycle has reportedly increased to approximately 43 months—nearly four years.
As the performance, cameras, and battery life of premium smartphones have become increasingly similar, many users no longer feel the need to upgrade their devices every year.
(Photo: FC Barcelona)
This trend is even more noticeable among people who view smartphones primarily as tools for work rather than objects used to express status or lifestyle.
Bill Gates has previously said that he does not care much about owning the newest devices, as long as the technology he uses continues to meet his needs.
Meanwhile, football manager José Mourinho has repeatedly appeared in public carrying iPhone models released several years earlier instead of constantly upgrading to the latest version.
Once again, the important point is not whether their devices are expensive or inexpensive.
It is how they define an object’s value.
As long as a device continues to perform its purpose effectively, replacing it may not be necessary.
From that perspective, Lamine Yamal’s scratched iPhone becomes even more interesting.
A footballer reportedly valued at €220 million, earning one of Barcelona’s highest salaries and receiving tens of millions of dollars from sponsorship agreements, could replace his phone at any moment.
However, the fact that he continues appearing with an older, visibly worn device suggests that a smartphone may still be nothing more than a practical tool in his life.
It may not be something he feels the need to upgrade repeatedly in order to demonstrate his wealth or position.
Perhaps that is the difference between purchasing power and genuine need.
When almost everything can be bought, the deciding factor is no longer the price of an object.
The real question becomes whether it is still good enough to serve its owner.
