At first glance, it could easily be mistaken for Spain football star Lamine Yamal visiting Kerala. The face, hairstyle and smile are strikingly similar. But a closer look reveals that this is not the Barcelona and Spain star. He is Alan James, a Class 10 student from Chakkuvally in Kollam.

Alan has now become a local sensation because of his resemblance to Yamal. Although people had pointed out the similarity before, he shot to wider attention after a video posted by block panchayat member Nikhil Manohar went viral on social media.

The video brought together Alan’s resemblance to Yamal with another viral social media moment from the World Cup. During the tournament, visuals of a Tamil woman selling Yamal jerseys while calling out the name ‘Lakshmi Ammal’ had gone viral.

Nikhil used the ‘Lakshmi Ammal’ call from those visuals along with footage of Alan to create his video. It quickly gained traction on social media.

Alan was later seen wearing a Yamal jersey in more videos, drawing even more attention from football fans.

But his connection with football goes beyond his appearance.

‘Kerala Yamal’ is a footballer too

While Yamal operates in the attacking third and scores goals for Spain and Barcelona, Alan plays in defence.

The Class 10 student of Perumpuzha Government High School is an active member of his school football team. His brother is also a footballer.

Alan is a passionate supporter of Argentina and Lionel Messi. He also has a special liking for Yamal.

The sudden attention following the viral video has brought a significant change to the teenager’s life. He is now being invited to local events as a guest, while his social media following has also surged.

From 200 followers to more than 20,000

Alan had around 200 followers on social media before the video went viral. That number has now crossed 20,000.

The attention has brought both admiration and teasing. Alan, however, says he does not allow the criticism to bother him.

“I have been told that I look like Yamal by many people for a long time. But I never paid much attention to it. I suddenly started getting noticed during the World Cup. My life changed after the video went viral,” Alan told Mathrubhumi.com.

He said people in his locality were extremely happy about the attention he had received.

“I am happy that it went viral. I hear a lot of jokes and teasing on social media too, but I don't care about it. I have been playing football since I was young. I prefer playing in defence,” he said.

Waiting for a message from Yamal

Despite becoming known as Kerala’s ‘Yamal’, Alan’s favourite player remains Messi and his favourite team is Argentina.

“Although I like Yamal, Messi and Argentina are my favourites,” he said.

For now, the young footballer is hoping the attention will lead to something even more special — a message from Yamal himself.

“I wish to receive a message from Yamal,” Alan said.