Lamine Yamal’s older girlfriend Inés García speaks out amid online backlash over new romance

Just days after Lamine Yamal publicly debuted his relationship with influencer Inés García during Barça’s celebratory end-of-season dinner, the 20-year-old social media personality is now speaking out about the intense online backlash that followed their first public appearance together.

The young couple arrived hand in hand at the event celebrating Barcelona’s successful campaign, posing together publicly for the first time and seemingly confirming weeks of dating speculation surrounding the teenage football star.

But while fans flooded social media with reactions to the relationship reveal, García quickly found herself at the center of fierce online discourse.

According to Spanish magazine ¡HOLA!, the Sevilla-based influencer has been subjected to criticism, rumours and personal attacks online over the past week, ranging from accusations about her previous relationships to broader commentary about her romance with Barcelona's teenage sensation.

Now, García has decided to address the controversy directly.

“You should’ve seen the hate storm this week because, of course, people want you to see that they are hating on you,” García said in a viral video that trended on TikTok.

“They’re insulting you and all that because they think it’s funny. But since I haven’t gone in to look at anything, honestly, I’m doing super well.”

The influencer admitted she anticipated backlash the moment her relationship with Yamal became public.

“From the very first moment, I was very sure there was going to be a wave of insults, of disrespect, of lies,” she explained. “Either you live with it or it eats you up.”

García also defended herself against some of the online accusations directed her way, insisting she has done “absolutely nothing wrong.”

“I’m not disrespecting anyone; I’m not screwing up anyone’s life,” she said. “If I had to respond to everything that’s been said about me, I’d make a 25-minute video.”

Despite the online negativity, García made it clear she has no plans to step away from social media or change her lifestyle because of the criticism.

“But this Inés is going to keep going,” she declared. “Because she was active on social media before all this and she’s going to keep doing it now.”

The relationship has rapidly become one of football’s biggest off-pitch talking points, especially given Yamal’s meteoric rise over the past year.

At just 18 years old, the Blaugrana star is already considered one of the faces of football’s next generation after another sensational season for club and country. The teenage winger was recently called up again to Spain’s national team squad ahead of this summer’s FIFA World Cup, where he is expected to play a leading role for one of the tournament favourites.

Off the pitch, meanwhile, García is already experiencing what many fans are calling “the Lamine Yamal effect.” The influencer has seen a dramatic surge across social media since news of the romance first emerged.

In the last 14 days alone, García has reportedly gained more than 124,000 Instagram followers, per Social Blade, averaging roughly 4,400 new followers per day as interest surrounding the relationship continues to explode online.

The couple have also continued to fuel fan fascination through subtle public displays of affection online, with followers closely monitoring their interactions and appearances together.

Now, with Spain preparing for the World Cup and Yamal set to be one of the tournament’s headline stars, García is widely expected to make her unofficial debut in football’s glamorous WAG world by supporting the teenager throughout the competition this summer.